The Path of Her Own
by Black Robed One
Summary: With Sasuke and Naruto with their respective teachers, Sakura finds herself alone and useless. Feeling that Konoha became a deadend for her, Sakura decides to leave the village… But when she returns home can she handle the coming challenges?
1. Chapter One

Author's notes:

This story can be viewed as slight AU: everything that took place before the end of Tsunade's Decision Arc (up to and including episode 100 "Strong Teacher-Student Bonds When A Man Breaks The Ninja Way") will remain the unchanged, but everything that will happen next (i.e. in this story) will defer from how events unfolded in the anime. I won't reveal you the exact pairings, however I can promise that this story will be Sakura-centered (although naturally, Naruto, Sasuke and many other characters will have their moments too), so hopefully Sakura's fans will enjoy it.

Keys:

Text written in _Italic_ type is thoughts (plus telepathy and the like).

Underlined words in dialogue are notably accented in speech (without being spoken loudly or shouted, such as words written in CAPITAL letters).

And finally, text in (round brackets) is either Inner Sakura's comments (if it is written in _Italic_ type) or translations of author-created techniques.

And finally, **bold** text is used for a number of diverse reasons, including (but not limited to): indication of beginning and end of flashbacks, indication of how much time has passed since the last scene, some text characters read or see, etc.

Disclaimer:

Naruto animated series are based on Masashi Kishimoto's work and obviously don't belong to me.

**Chapter One**

**Making the First Step… And a Few More**

Tsunade, the Fifth Fire Shadow, raised an eyebrow as she stared at a young kunoichi before her, the words "I wish to ask permission to leave Konoha" still echoing in her mind.

"Why?"

For some reason, this simple question presented apparent difficulty for young kunoichi, giving Tsunade time to study her. She was young, most likely this year's graduate, and her slight-built only added unlikeness that someone like her wanted to leave her home village, where she could always be protected by other ninja. In fact, if not for forehead protector, which she wore in her hair like a ribbon, Tsunade probably wouldn't recognize her as one of village's ninja. Of course, appearances could be deceiving, and Tsunade knew this better then the most, but still she couldn't help doubting that it was so in this particular case.

On her part, Sakura pondered on the way of explaining her situation without offending anyone or getting into too much details. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure why she wanted to leave; true she had no one to train with here, but how could it change for better if she left? Still, she couldn't help feeling useless here… And not seeing her teacher and teammates for over a week now made it only more unbearable.

"I… I think it is the only way for me to improve." Sakura replied finally, "Konoha is my home, but there is little opportunity for me to train here, and my help with the missions is not needed either…"

Tsunade frowned. Something was clearly missing from the girl's story. Now when she thought of it, Tsunade remembered seeing this particular girl when she healed Uchiha Sasuke. _"The girl was so obviously attached to him. And now… She wanted to leave him?"_ Somehow Tsunade found it hard to believe it. _"No, there is definitely something else here…"_

"And what about your teacher and teammates?" Tsunade asked finally, "What do they think about your decision?"

"They… They don't have time for me nowadays…" Sakura admitted sadly, she wasn't happy admitting this, knowing to what conclusion Tsunade will likely come, but lying to Hokage was definitely not an option.

Sakura's concern wasn't baseless, it took Tsunade but another glance at the young kunoichi to realize what has likely happened. _"She was apparently the weakest of her team, and in the time of crisis Konoha was currently going through, her teacher focused his attention on his more promising students. The problem is that Konoha's other jonins either have teams of their own or busy going on the missions in high-ranked teams with no place for young and inexperienced Genin, which the girl apparently realized. Hence her unusual request… Of course, allowing the girl to leave on her own would be the death for her, but perhaps… Yes, this will work! I originally intended this mission for a Chunin, but considering that there is little actual danger involved…"_

"Of course, you realize, that since Konoha currently has a shortage of qualified ninja, I cannot just let you leave…" Sakura's head drooped, but then Tsunade continued, "…Here, take a look at it, and tell me if you are still willing to leave Konoha."

A little hesitantly, Sakura accepted a small card from Tsunade's hands and began to read…

**Solo Mission, Rank C**

…

* * *

… 

**Objective: Guard ambassador from Konohagakure, Haruno Sakura during her stay in Sunagakure.**

**Approximate length: 1 year**

"That's just great!" The card was not-too-politely thrown back at older ninja, who effortlessly caught it and put it on the table. "Why does a group of elite ninja…"

"Still Genin, all." The older ninja commented dryly, though he knew that all his students were well on Chunin level, although so far it came only to skill, not their actual ranks.

"…Would get stuck babysitting some girl from Konohagakure!" The blond kunoichi demanded, paying no attention to her teacher's remark. She knew her worth as well as he did, and if circumstances were different, she would already be a Chunin.

"_Hmm… Haruno Sakura?"_ When the blond kunoichi though of it, she remembered hearing that name somewhere, _"Was she one of those no-talent leaf kunoichi from the last Chunin exam?"_

"Besides, we were among those who participated in battle in Konohagakure." Her older brother added, interrupting her thoughts, "Wouldn't appointing us to guard their ambassador be like a spittle in their faces?"

"It is expected to be different." The older ninja said, though secretly he couldn't help sharing his student concern, "Three of you indeed made quite an impression on the last Chunin exam, and the elders saw it fit to show Konohagakure that the Sand can be not only a dangerous enemy, but also a powerful ally. Besides…" he added glancing at the hot-tempered blond kunoichi, "…This mission wouldn't prevent you from continuing your training or going on occasional short-term missions."

The blond kunoichi didn't look much happier, but she said nothing; they had no choice in this matter, and they knew it too well. So it was no surprise when the youngest of the four, who remained silent until then, asked, "So, when this ambassador arrives."

"You are to meet with her in five days. The place is…"

* * *

Sakura let out a sigh of relief, at least she could relax in oasis under the shadow after walking through the desert for a day and a half. Experiencing the "joys" of the desert only reinforced her doubts about this mission, which she had since the beginning. She admitted that she never thought where she would go after leaving Konoha, probably because the chances of her being allowed to leave were very slim, but Sunagakure was definitely the last place she wanted to visit. Not only Sunagakure was partially responsible for everything that happened with Konoha, but it was also a home of her nightmares… Gaara. Sakura shuddered as she remembered Gaara fighting and severely injuring Lee-san, not to mention her own team's fight with Gaara. Sakura was still having nightmares about both these battles.

"_Okay, thinking reasonably, the chances that I will encounter Gaara are pretty slim."_ Sakura thought, _"Sunagakure is probably a big place, and he is probably on some mission or another. And even IF I encounter him, he probably won't even remember me and probably won't kill me on spot. And I'll have diplomatic immunity… YEAH, RIGHT!"_

The thing was that Sakura wasn't too comfortable with her position as an "ambassador" either…

**(Flashback)**

"Ano… Hokage-sama…" Sakura said unsurely.

"Yes?"

"It is quite unusual for one hidden village to send a resident ambassador to anther, isn't it?"

"What made you think so?"

"Well, I read the history of Konoha as well as available parts of other hidden villages' history, and there were no references to sending resident ambassadors. I believed only countries themselves did it. I am not even sure what is the purpose of resident ambassador in a hidden village, with diplomatic exchanges between hidden villages being so few…" Sakura trailed off, not wanting to mention that she had little idea what SHE was supposed to do in Sunagakure. Her mission's description was brief and didn't go into any details.

"You are partially right." Tsunade replied, "For the most part the hidden villages' policy is indeed decided by the countries we are part of. So the main purpose of sending a resident ambassador to a hidden village is…" Tsunade held a dramatic pause "…Spying."

Sakura almost choked.

"You mean to tell me that you are OPENLY sending me to Sunagakure to SPY upon them!"

"That's the point. You are openly going there to ensure that they aren't planning anything against us, and they will welcome your presence as an indication that they aren't planning anything against us. Fort the most part you will just live a more or less ordinary life in there, you'll just have to keep an eye on things."

Seeing that the young kunoichi was still unconvinced, Tsunade added, "Don't worry, it is usually considered a bad form to kill ambassadors, so I am quite sure you will be fine."

Actually, Tsunade was absolutely certain that Sunagakure won't be planning anything against Konoha; with both their villages weakened and sharing a common enemy, the former enemies were now natural allies. Still, she purposefully left the girl with impression that there was at least some danger involved, and now she waited for her answer.

"I agree." Sakura said finally, though she couldn't help feeling doubts aboutthis mission.

"Very well. You can go now, but remember that you are to rendezvous with Sunagakure's ninja in a week exactly."

**(/Flashback)**

Sakura's remembering was interrupted by the sound of quiet footsteps; someone was approaching the small oasis where she was to meet her escort. Probably these were the sand-nin that were to escort to Sunagakure, at least the time was right.

Tiredly, Sakura rose up and stepped out from the shadow. She immediately saw three approaching figures and noticeably paled… _"THAT COULDN'T ACTUALLY BE THEM!"_

Yet despite Sakura's mental denial, the trio of sand-nin continued to approach. In the center and step ahead was person from her nightmares… Gaara. He was flanked by the two Sakura remembered well enough too: the blond kunoichi with a huge fan, and a puppet master dressed in black. Sakura instinctively recoiled from the trio, evoking smirks from blond kunoichi and puppet master. Gaara remained dispassionate; Sakura's reaction was nothing new to him, though after the Chunin exam Gaara found that constant displays of fear and hatred were beginning to bother him once again.

"Good day, Haruno-san." Temari said finally, making a step forward; although her smirk was gone, it was replaced by half-smile that indicated that honorificator was a mere formality.

"Good day, Temari-san." Sakura replied, regaining enough presence of mind to give a slight bow "Ano… What are you doing here?"

Even as she asked the question, Sakura felt that she already knows the answer and Temari's increasing smile only made Sakura more sure of it.

"Why, our team is to act as your bodyguards while you are in Sunagakure." Temari replied, and seeing that Sakura wasn't particularly happy with these news, she though that perhaps this mission wouldn't be all that boring.

Now when Temari saw her, she indeed recognized Sakura as one of leaf kunoichi from the last Chunin exam. What changed things was that she also wasamongthosewho fought their team when the third testerupted into an open battle between Leaf, Sound and Sand.

"_It certainly won't help improving relations between Leaf and Sand."_ Temari thought, _"Then again, it will add a certain excitement to our mission… Providing that Gaara won't kill her first, that's it!" _

With all her mirth gone in an instant, Temari cast a worried glance at her younger brother.

Either he heeded it, or he simply wasn't in killing mood today, because Gaara simply stated, "We are going back to Suna."

Kankuro immediately followed his younger brother. But Temari waited, seeing Sakura's hesitation. On her part, Sakura expected that them to take at least a little rest in oasis they were currently in rather then heading back into the desert right away. Not to mention that her own rest was too brief for her liking.

"When Gaara decides upon something, usually it is not wise to argue with him." Temari said with a wink.

Obviously the leaf kunoichi was sharp enough to get the point, which in a nervous glance she cast at Gaara before following him and Kankuro. With relief, Temari joined Sakura.

"_Knowing Gaara it could have been much worse…"_ Temari thought, before her thoughts were interrupted…

"Temari-san, I was wondering if I could continue my training in Sunagakure?"

"Hmm…" Temari pondered the question for a moment, then smiled. It wasn't a very pleasant smile. "Sure, I don't see why not."

_"And while Gaara is behaving himself, I don't see why I shouldn't get my share of fun from this mission."_

As she watched Temari's somewhat cruel smile, Sakura wondered if that was what she REALLY wanted.

"_Ambassador or no, nobody will go easy on me in here."_ Sakura realized, _"Then again, it is my first chance to train with someone who would be serious about it instead of trying their best not to accidentally hurt me. Perhaps it is worth it…"_

_

* * *

_

The blast struck Sakura square in the chest. However instead of being thrown back by the force of the blast, Sakura's body burst and disappeared.

_"A clone! When did she…"_

Temari let her thoughts trail off as she quickly looked around readying her fan for another attack. Too late! As Temari turned around she saw half-dozen Sakuras charging at her with blinding speed. Temari lashed out with a wide blast of wind, taking down two more clones before the rest were upon her. And among phantasmal blows, Temari could feel a punch at her ribs…

_"Kuso!"_

Even though Sakura didn't put much strength into her punch, Temari knew too well that Sakura could easily break her a couple of ribs if wanted. And if she used kunai…

In one swift motion, Temari folded her fan, turned and brought it down upon her opponent. But Sakura easily sidestepped the blow and locked Temari's right hand in a powerful grip even as she stuck with her leg to trip Temari up. Before Tamari even realized what has happened, she was face down on the ground with Sakura sitting atop of her and gripping both her arms behind her back. Never being the one to give up easily, Temari was about to try throwing the stronger girl off, but the feeling of kunai against her neck changed her mind. That was it.

"Alright, alright, I give up."

Sakura immediately got off Temari, allowing her to get up. As she got up and dusted herself off, Temari cast a glare at Sakura's direction, although her glare almost immediately turned into a grin. While Temari didn't appreciate being literally forced to bite the dust, she quickly found it difficult to be angry with the young leaf-nin. Besides, it was her who was getting beaten over and over again for the first two months.

"_She sure changed during her stay here."_ Temari thought, smiling inwardly.

Indeed, it wasn't easy to believe that this was the same girl who backed away at the sight of her former enemies some four months ago. There was now an air of determination about her, of which Temari previously saw only hints of, not to mention the fact that she now had a certain degree of confidence in her abilities. The physical changes in her were evident as well: not only she grew a little taller and her formerly fair skin was now somewhat tanned, but she also developed small but firm muscles, thanks to harsh life and daily trainings – two things she so obviously lacked in the past.

"Very good, Sakura. Now, let's see how well will you fare against Taijutsu."

Temari grinned again as she moved aside and allowed their sensei Baki to take her place as Sakura's opponent. She may have grown to like Sakura, but it didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy to see her tasting her own medicine.

Sakura on her part faced the older ninja stoically. While she knew that Baki was a master of both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu and that she couldn't possibly win against him _("LIKE THE HELL I CAN'T! THIS TIME I AM BEATING HELL OUTTA HIS SORRY ASS!"_), she also knew that she improved since their last match and had an up her sleeve now too. _"One way or another, he is in for quite a surprise, that's for sure."_

Her matches with Baki were nothing like those with Temari, not surprisingly, considering how different the teacher and his student were. With Temari the key strategy was to get close to her: Sakura knew that she was much better then Temari in melee combat, but she also knew that it would take her a single mistake to get caught in Temari's squall of attacks, and should it happen, Temari wouldn't let her get off the hook. Still, Sakura's Chakra control and mastery of basic techniques were perfect, and constant matches against opponent whose thinking was as fast as her attacks sharpened Sakura's own strategic thinking to previously unreachable level. And so she haven't lost against Temari for quite some time now. But it would be different with Baki…

They charged each other at the same time, but before they met, Sakura drew a trio of kunai and threw them at her opponent with blinding speed. Baki had to stop his charge to avoid running straight into deadly projectiles, but once he did, he effortlessly caught all three kunai. Still, Sakura didn't finish…

"_Concentrate Chakra in feet…"_ Almost too fast for an eye to follow her, Sakura was in the air above Baki, raining shuriken down upon him. With little time left, Baki was forced to drop to the ground and roll away, barely managing to avoid the deadly rain. It took experienced Jonin but one second to jump back to his feet and another one to find Sakura, but still, it was a moment too late…

As Baki's eyes found Sakura, the next thing he saw was her Chakra-infused fist that rammed into his chest, throwing him backwards. The blow was strong enough to knock lesser man out, but Baki wasn't a full-ranked Jonin for nothing. He almost immediately shifted his weight to break the fall and landed on his hands, immediately pushing himself back towards Sakura. And before Sakura could either retreat or press the assault, Baki was back right up close with her. For a few seconds they traded, blows and blocks, but they both knew it wouldn't last long…

Baki's fist suddenly connected with Sakura's abdomen, which was immediately followed-up by elbow attack. The combined force of two blows thrown Sakura back. Sakura managed to turn to land on her side rather then her back, but it still hurt like hell.

On his part, Baki didn't press the attack allowing his student a time to recover. She made quite a progress in the last four months, though she definitely had a long way to go. Her perfect Chakra control made her more powerful with Taijutsu then one could guess from her appearance: being able to focus Chakra in any part of her body and release it in right time and right amount allowed Sakura to make swift leaps and deliver blows far more powerful then one could expect from her. When it came to pure skill, however, hers left a lot to be desired. Granted, she wasn't too bad, more then a match for most Genin and even some Chunin, but in this world being not to bad was often not enough.

Meanwhile, Sakura got back to her feet, but hesitated to continue attacking Baki. While she was on offense she had a sort of advantage over him… _"And this time I struck the first blow too! (THAT'S RIGHT!)"_ …But to get it she'd have to keep Baki distracted all the time and now initiative was clearly in his hands. Not to mention that her supply of kunai and shuriken wasn't infinite, and neither was her stamina…

"_It's time to show him something new."_ She thought and quickly formed a series of hand seals, "Bunshin-tachi no DANSU!" (Dance of the Clones)

Baki frowned as dozen Sakuras appeared out of the thin air and began to encircle him, preparing to charge. Though she slightly alerted words of the technique, a few seconds of inspection left him with no doubt that these were just ordinary clones.

"_Didn't the girl learn that lesson months ago?"_

While far from being useless, as Sakura's recent match with Temari illustrated, Clone Technique was of no use against experienced ninja, especially the one of Jonin rank. Not only the clones would dissipate before striking a blow, but being just illusions, they didn't react the same way a human body would. Thus it was relatively easy for experienced opponent to recognize which of clones was real, and the clones wouldn't cause more then a momentary distraction.

The first time Sakura attempted to use Clone Technique against Baki, he decided to play along, creating two Shadow Clones of himself and making short work of Sakura and all her clones. But the next time he illustrated the point of his lecture about the clones by going straight for real Sakura and knocking her out before her clones did her any good. She seemed to learn the lesson back then, but now repeated her past mistake. Baki was more then a little disappointed; he thought the girl was smarter then that.

The breeze blowing over the training ground was slight, but it was all Baki needed as he concentrated upon it even as Sakuras charged at him. She was skilled enough to create illusionary sound in addition to visual illusion, but being just illusions, the clones didn't cut through wind the same way human body did, and for the one who learned to feel and manipulate wind since childhood discovering the real opponent was too easy.

_"That one!"_

Ignoring the rest of the clones, Baki charged straight at real Sakura, landing a powerful blow on her abdomen before she could react. Sakura's body burst and disappeared.

_"No way!.."_

He was slightly thrown off balance when the blow fall on his back, but he immediately recovered, wheeled around and returned the blow. Another clone disappeared, and immediately after another blow came from the side. This time by the time Baki turned to the offending clone, another blow came from completely different direction. Sakura's clones surrounded him and promptly took turns striking him. But how?..

"_Body Switch Technique!"_ He realized suddenly, _"The girl somehow combined Clone Technique with Body Switch Technique. Technically it is impossible, considering that clones are illusions, not physical bodies, but…"_

Another blow interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to reality: he had to do something about this situation, and quick!

"Sabaku Senpuu Batsu!" (Desert Whirlwind Attack)

Temari grinned.

Kankuro winced.

Gaara remained dispassionate.

Sakura opened her eyes.

She didn't quite understand what has just happened. One moment she was beating Baki into a bloody pulp (_"DAMN RIGHT!"_), the next she was laying on the ground with her entire body hurting like hell. The only obvious conclusion she could come to was that her match was over, and definitely not in her favour.

"That was his Desert Whirlwind Attack." Kankuro explained, seeing Sakura's slight confusion "A B-rank Taijutsu technique, specifically designed to battle multiple opponents. Against it you didn't stand a chance. At least you should be honoured that Baki was forced to use it on you, the people it is used against usually don't live to tell the tale."

Somehow Sakura didn't feel all that honoured about getting knocked down with a single attack, not to mention the pain. Still, she knew she made a notable progress, even if she couldn't win against Baki this time. _"Perhaps Kankuro has a point…"_

"Alright" Baki said meanwhile, looking at beaten and exhausted Sakura, "Let's call it a day."

* * *

The scenery around her couldn't be called beautiful, yet it was relaxing in a way. The slight breeze stoking her hair, the last rays of sun upon her skin… This was definitely her favorite place and time.

She sat on the roof of her new home, a tower where Team Baki made their residence, with most of Suna bellow her. Painted in dull red, orange and brown colors, Suna had an air of tension about it even in these seemingly peaceful hours. So unlike her former home, Konoha.

Sakura let out a sad sigh as nostalgia overcame her again, it was happening more and more often lately. She may have grown to like her new home and teammates, but whenever she was alone, she couldn't help missing Konoha and the friends she left behind, especially a certain raven-haired boy. Sure, she became stronger then she thought was possible, but…

_"Was it really worth it?.."_

A sudden shift in breeze interrupted Sakura's thoughts. She knew someone was approaching her and couldn't help smiling a little; a few months ago she wouldn't feel anything.

_"Perhaps…"_

"Good evening, sensei."

"You did well enough today." He said, as he stopped slightly behind her

And despite everything, a small smile appeared on Sakura's lips; it wasn't often that Baki gave her compliments, but whenever he did, she knew it meant that she deserved them.

"Arigato, sensei!"

"No thanks are needed, you deserved the praise. Your new technique was quite impressive. These were just ordinary clones, yet somehow you could switch between them, but… How? Normal Body Switch Technique wouldn't work with illusions."

"In case of Body Switch Technique we use material object as a focus for our Chakra, allowing the instantaneous switch. But I thought, what if I use something different as a focus? So, I placed a Chakra beacon into each clone, allowing me to instantaneously transport in their place, and there was a thirteenth clone at the same spot with me to conceal what I was doing." Sakura turned to face her teacher, "Pretty neat, ne?"

"Yes, you are definitely making progress in Ninjutsu, even if you barely know any techniques above academy level…" Her smile faltered, but then Baki continued, "…So I believe it is time to teach you new techniques. Your Taijutsu still leaves a lot to be desired, but it will do for the time being; now it is time for your Ninjutsu to catch up. We are starting tomorrow."

_"…Yes, it was definitely worth it!"_

**(Musical fill-in – Good-bye)**

_nanika machigatte'ru you na ki ga suru no sa_

_donna mirai mo NYU-SU mo jibun sae_

_heiwa na yoru ni_

_karamatta _LOVE & PAIN

_minareta keshiki wo_

_nami no oto ga keshite yuku_

GOOD-BYE _SAYONARA shiyou ze kon'ya koko de_

_yume wa kawari-tsudzukete'ku owari wa nai no sa_

GOOD-BYE_ kuchibiru ni uta wo donna toki mo_

_itsuka boku-tachi wa deau_

_kono HA-TO ni SOURU aru kagiri_

_daremo oshiete kurenai sono kotae wa_

_mado no mukou wo tori ga tonde yuku_

_kodomo no koro ni_

_oikaketa _RAIN-RAINBOW

_wasurecha ikenai_

_RIARU na sora ga aru koto mo_

GOOD-BYE _koko kara hajimeyou mou ichido_

_itsumo fuite kuru kaze wo karada kanjite_

GOOD-BYE_ MOTAMOTA shite kara yo ga akeru_

_sou sa boku-tachi wa hitotsu_

_kono HA-TO ni chikau eien wo_

GOOD-BYE _SAYONARA shiyou ze kon'ya koko de_

_yume wa kawari-tsudzukete'ku owari wa nai no sa_

GOOD-BYE_ kuchibiru ni uta wo donna toki mo_

_itsuka boku-tachi wa deau_

_kono HA-TO ni SOURU aru kagiri_

---------------------------------------------------------------------

_I feel as if something's wrong_

_With the future, the news, and even myself_

_Intertwined_

_In a peaceful night_ LOVE & PAIN

_The sound of waves erase_

_The scenes I got so used to seeing_

GOOD-BYE _Let's say farewell, tonight, right here_

_Dreams go on changing; there's no end to it_

GOOD-BYE _There will always be a song on our lips_

_We'll see each other some day_

_As long as there's a soul to this heart_

_That answer no one has ever told me_

_Is a bird flying beyond the window, faraway_

_We musn't forget_

_The_ RAIN-RAINBOW

_We chased when we were young_

_And that there is a real sky_

GOOD-BYE _Let's begin here once more_

_I always feel the wind blowing all over me_

GOOD-BYE _After a lingering night, the day breaks_

_Yes, we are one_

_In this heart we hold the eternity we promised_

GOOD-BYE _Let's say farewell, tonight, right here_

_Dreams go on changing; there's no end to it_

GOOD-BYE _There will always be a song on our lips_

_We'll see each other some day_

_As long as there's a soul to this heart_

**(/Musical fill-in)**

**

* * *

**

Preview of the next chapter:

This is Uzumaki Naruto! No doubt you are all wondering what was going on in Konoha meanwhile. Well… Not much, truth to tell, I have been training a lot lately, and haven't seen much of my friends, and that Perverted Hermit… What, Perverted Hermit was attacked by sound-nin and fights for his life even as I speak! Why did I have to be away when that happened! Coming next,** "Dangerous Beauty, Crisis Finds Jiraiya!" **It is time to get Team Kakashi together again.


	2. Chapter Two

Author's notes:

Before the start of this chapter I would like to thank those few who reviewed this story of mine. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much! Truth be told, I was hoping to get more reviews, but… Oh well, at least the ones I got very really encouraging! Thank you, you wonderful people!

As said, I won't reveal the pairings just yet (actually, I won't likely reveal them at all, but they will become more or less apparent sooner or later), **Sexy Black Neko**, but Gaara will play a relatively significant part in this story, although he will have both ups and downs. Then again, the same can be said about many other characters.

**Sam**, **HeartAngel**, I glad that you liked this so much! Sorry if I didn't update it as soon as you hoped; it usually takes me a little more month to write a chapter (and it can be even longer if I suffer from author's block, lack of inspiration or some other unexpected delay), but I will try my best to update this story of mine as quickly as I will be able to.

Also, I would like to say sorry to all Sakura's fans, because Sakura won't show up in this chapter; she is still in Suna, and this chapter will focus on events that are taking place in Konoha. But I hope that you will be patient enough to wait until Sakura will make an appearance once again (which will happen in the next chapter).

**Chapter Two**

**Dangerous Beauty, Crisis Finds Jiraiya!**

"Rasengan!"

With a shout Naruto struck a blow, blowing a neat hole appeared in the nearby tree. _"And that is supposed to be training."_

Usually Naruto welcomed training to the point of staying in wilderness for weeks, but recently Naruto couldn't help feeling that he has already perfected this technique. Well, his control over the amount of Chakra he used probably wasn't quite perfect, but then again, this was probably true to every other technique he used. And besides, didn't the Perverted Hermit tell him that with amount of Chakra he had he didn't have to worry much about Chakra control?

But each time Naruto tried to approach Perverted Hermit and ask to teach him some new technique, Perverted Hermit always replied that he should practice more with techniques he already knew before moving to something new. Probably just an excuse so that he could go about his perverted business without Naruto bothering him.

Naruto frowned. After the last adventure and learning Rasengan Naruto was overjoyed when Perverted Hermit offered to be his full-time teacher. At least it was so at first. But as months passed and no new techniques were learned, Naruto was beginning to wonder if having Perverted Hermit as his full-time teacher was all that good. Perhaps Perverted Hermit already taught him everything he could and just didn't want to admit it?

And as Naruto was beginning to doubt the benefit of training under Perverted Hermit, he was beginning to miss Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei and even Sasuke. Naruto didn't like that, even if it was for the sake of training and even though Perverted Hermit explained to him that it was quite natural for teams to break into pairs once they accumulated enough experience; not only this usually helped with further training, but it also provided better flexibility when it was need to form a specialized team for some specific mission. So Sasuke was now with Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan… Well… Naruto was forced to admit that he never thought who Sakura-chan was paired with.

"_Perhaps Kakashi-sensei gave her Ebisu?"_ Naruto wondered, and his frown immediately deepened when he imagined HIS Sakura-chan with that pervert. _"NEVER! Kakashi-sensei would have never done it, now when he knows what a pervert Ebisu is! Still, I wonder who Sakura-chan is paired with?.. Perhaps I should ask Tsunade-obachan the next time I'm in Konoha?.."_

One of the reasons Naruto didn't see his friends often these days was because her didn't show up in Konoha all that often; most of the time his training trips into the forests that surrounded Konoha lasted for a week or so. And it seemed that most of the Rookie Nine were on more or less similar schedule; with the state Konoha was currently in, even Genin were either training intensively or going on the missions.

"_Oh well, either way, I better go on with the training for what it's worth."_ Naruto thought, _"The next time I see Sakura-chan, she's gonna be impressed for sure! And if that Perverted Hermit will for once take a break from his perverted activities and teach me something new…"_

* * *

"He he he he he!..."

The famous Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Three couldn't hide his delight. He always liked this particular spot when it came to gathering his "research material", but today was definitely his lucky day! With delight he watched a young girl as she bathed in a small lake by the waterfall, her clothes discarded on the shore. Though she was still very young, around twelve or thirteen years of age, she already developed feminine curves as well as other notable… assets. _"Yes, that's definitely top-class material!"_

"Ano… Jisan, I don't think that's what the man of your age should be doing…" A feminine voice said from behind him.

Jiraiya turned, and this time his mouth fall open; if the girl in the lake was top-class material, then the one before him was one of the most beautiful girls he has ever seen, and he saw quite a few. She was somewhat older then the one in the lake, probably around eighteen or so, actually more of a young woman then a girl. The dark blue one-piece swimsuit perfectly accented her flawless fair skin, her long silvery-grey hair fall like a waterfall behind her shoulders and her deep brown eyes were like two bottomless bits a man couldn't help falling into. A slight blush playing on her beautiful face completed the picture of absolute perfection, even if she looked more then a little reserved – this definitely wasn't the kind of situation she was used to.

Yet, as Jiraiya looked at the young woman, a mental alarm sounded in his head. He didn't live over fifty years by being overly careless, and no matter how beautiful the young woman looked, he felt danger coming from her. The blush looked to be genuine, but there definitely was a feeling of power about her, despite her attempts to hide it.

"_So, they keep sending beautiful women after me."_ Jiraiya thought, smiling inwardly, _"I LIKE THAT! But I wonder who did it this time? Akatsuki or Orochimaru?.."_

"Ano… Jisan," The young woman's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I wonder if you would like to spend some time with me. That girl probably wouldn't like it if she learns that you were watching her, but I…" The young woman's blush deepened, "…I guess I wouldn't mind it too much…"

Yet in contrast with her words, the young woman's gaze was forcefully cold. _"To hide her uncertainness, no doubt."_ Jiraiya guessed _"She would definitely look more appealing if she didn't do that, but I guess I shouldn't be too choosy."_

With a huge grin, Jiraiya took the young woman's outstretched hand and allowed her to lead him away from his hiding place.

"_Even if it's a trap she is leading me to, I am more then match for everything they can throw at me."_ Jiraiya thought, _"Besides, if I don't follow her, I won't find out who are after me and why. Not to mention that it never hurts to enjoy some company while it lasts."_

But as Jiraiya allowed the young woman to lead him along the river, another thought came to him, _"But what if it's not me they're after? What if it's Naruto?"_

"Sorry, girl, I'm afraid I have a friend to visit. How about another time?" Saying this, Jiraiya let go of her hand… Or at last tried, because he was surprised to find out that his hand was as if bound to young woman's.

"_No way…"_ Jiraiya's eyes opened wide when he realized that his entire body was bound in nearly invisible Chakra strings. _"She must have done it while we were still walking and relaxed her strings to allow me to walk normally until now… And all without my noticing it! This girl is more powerful then I have thought!"_

"You have no choice." The young woman looked at Jiraiya, with none of her supposed uncertainness about her. "You may be one of the Legendary Three, but you won't be able to fight me now. It will be the best for both of us if you come peacefully."

"For you maybe, but not for me!" Chakra strings cut deeply into Jiraiya's body as he struggled to break free, but they were no match for him. First one, then another… one by one the strings, broke, allowing Jiraiya to jump away from his opponent to catch his breath.

But as he broke free from the strings, another unpleasant surprise was waiting for Jiraiya, as he suddenly felt completely exhausted. As if his Chakra was drained…

"What have you done?" This time Jiraiya couldn't help speaking his thoughts out loud. "It is not possible to drain so much Chakra in so little time. Or have you..."

"Yes, I began draining your Chakra the moment you took my hand, at the same time providing you with temporal energy boost, so that you wouldn't feel anything."

"You are… A medic-nin?"

"No, in my homeland, we don't have division into medic-nin. One who knows how to heal also knows how to harm. I suggest you give up before I am forced to harm you."

"Ha, a man can't give in to a girl, no matter how beautiful she is! Rasengan!"

But as Jiraiya charged at the young woman, the faint sound filled the area around them…

_"Huh?"_

…And Jiraiya's Rasengan suddenly struck an invisible and seemingly impenetrable that formed around the young woman.

"This is Shield of Sound technique." The young woman explained as she watched Jiraiya's surprised face. "You will not be able to break through it, especially in your current state. You should have… No way!"

With last final note the sound ceased, and surprised young woman saw Jiraiya's Rasengan-wielding hand rushing towards her. Her surprise lasted for but a moment, but that was all Jiraiya needed…

SPLASH!

"Nani?"

Still surprised, the young woman followed Jiraiya with her eyes as he flew through the air before landing in the river. Then she half-turned to look at another man who now stood beside her.

He was a well-built middle-aged man, with black hair and dark blue eyes. He was dressed in dark gray pants and jacket and also wore sturdy leather bracers and leggings as well as standard-issue ninja sandals. On his forehead he openly wore his hitai-ate, his forehead protector, with the symbol of the Hidden Sound Village upon it.

"Hiroshi, why are you here?" The young woman still sounded a bit surprised as she addressed her former companion.

"I just wanted to make sure you are alright."

"I would have dealt with him myself."

"I don't doubt it. Still, I thought it would be best if we capture him with as little troubles as possible."

The young woman cast a momentary glance at the river, where Jiraiya was no doubt busy swimming for his life even as they spoke.

"He might get away."

"I know you won't let him." Hiroshi's usually serious expression broke into one of his rare smiles.

The young woman didn't reply. Although she had no doubt that she would eventually overcome weakened Sannin, the young woman still appreciated Hiroshi's aid. And besides, he was right.

The young woman turned away from her companion, closed her eyes and outstretched her arm towards the river. Hiroshi watched in fascination as nearly invisible Chakra strings shot from the young woman's hand and merged with surface of water; even though he was ten years her senior, the young woman's techniques never failed to impress him. And against this technique, even one of the Legendary Three would be helpless.

He was usually very alert, but with his attention consumed by his beautiful companion, Hiroshi failed to notice the slight rustle of leaves at some distance…

* * *

_"That's not good."_

Though Jiraiya always considered water his element, in his current exhausted state swimming wasn't easy for him. And pain in his left side, which the new foe's fist came in contact with didn't help either.

Nevertheless, Jiraiya has already managed to put quite a distance between himself and his foes, but he knew that problems wouldn't stop here.

"_Even if it was me they were after, I better find Naruto quickly, just in case. And then… Huh?"_

Jiraiya's thoughts were cut short when a sudden current picked him and carried him onward. It took him a few seconds to remember, that there weren't, couldn't be a current as strong as this in this part of the river. And even in his exhausted state, he quickly came to the only possible conclusion: _"They are somehow able to control the river! That's twice as bad!"_

With his last ounce of strength Jiraiya tried to struggle against the current, but all in vain; the current was simply to strong for him to fight against. And as if things weren't bad enough, his ears picked the distant sound of the falling water…

"_Damn, how could I forget there was another waterfall downstream?"_

But that realization did nothing to help Jiraiya, as the current continued carrying him downstream at increasing speed. And after a few more minutes of hopeless struggle, Jiraiya found himself thrown in the air and falling down towards a small lake bellow the waterfall.

Jiraiya tried to group himself for a fall, but it turned out to be unnecessary as a stream of water shot from the river above and caught Jiraiya like a giant hand. Jiraiya relief at his rescue was fleeting, though, as the next moment the stream of water slammed him hard into the lake. Still, the blow wasn't as hard as if has been if Jiraiya was left in his fall.

_"I guess she doesn't want to get rid of me just yet. Heh, she must have fallen for my charms! But what…"_

Jiraiya's thoughts were cut short as he slowly recovered from the blow and realized that he was on the lake's shore now, and more importantly – he was starring at someone's sandaled feet. Still stunned by the force of the blow, Jiraiya slowly looked up at the person before him: dark gray pants and jacket, lean muscled body, black sunglasses, white hair, forehead protector with symbol of the Hidden Sound Village upon it…

The stranger slowly took his sunglasses off, revealing a pair of large fully-black eyes that met Jiraiya's…

_"That's it, I just cannot fight anymore. Perhaps it would be best if I just… Wait! What the heck am I thinking about! The Great Jiraiya won't go down without a fight!"_

"I am sorry that you feel that way, old man."

With great effort, Jiraiya got to his feet and began forming Rasengan in his hand…

Too slow! Before his Rasengan was fully formed, the stranger unleashed a flurry of blows and kicks upon him, which exhausted Jiraiya had no way of dodging or blocking. The beating lasted for about half a minute, before particularly powerful kick thrown Jiraiya back into shallow water where he drifted into unconsciousness…

* * *

"Yasao got him."

The young woman opened her eyes, but hasn't yet turned to her companion.

"'_The three of us… Just like the old times, eh?'"_ Although her expression remained nearly emotionless, the young woman smiled inwardly. _"Yes, that's what he'll say."_

Hiroshi hasn't changed a bit since they first met some six years ago, but the young woman certainly didn't mind that. He was one of the few constants in her life, and the young woman learned to value such things.

"Well, that's good."

"Hmm…" The young woman turned to her companion, and saw him shifting a bit uneasily under her gaze. "Are you alright, Hiroshi?"

"Of course, I am."

She turned away, and for a moment, a slight frown crossed her face.

"Very well, we are going back to the camp then."

And the two of them went off, leaving the unconscious body of a young blond girl behind, well-hidden in tree's branches…

* * *

By the time they arrived there, the small camp was bustling with activity; the order to break up was already given.

By now she changed from her swimsuit into her usual outfit: black pants, dark blue short-sleeved shirt and standard-issue ninja sandals. Her hitai-ate with the symbol of the Hidden Sound Village now graced the young woman's forehead.

The young woman firmly leaded Hiroshi to where their other old friend was waiting. And speaking of him, there he was, just standing there amidst the activity with usual air of superiority about him. But that was a part of her friend the young woman learned to accept.

As he noticed the approaching pair, Yasao, the man who apprehended Jiraiya earlier, stepped towards them.

"Everything goes according to the plan." Yasao said instead of greetings.

He was about to continue when he noticed something strange about the young woman's expression. Yasao took his sunglasses off and looked at met the young woman's eyes for a moment before turning his gaze on her companion. Again, Hiroshi shifted a bit uneasily when those strange black eyes looked into his…

But thankfully, the eye contact lasted for but a few moments.

"Alright, follow me," Yasao said, nodding to the young woman before turning away from the pair. "I will fill you into my future plans before you proceed with your orders."

Without questions, Hiroshi and his female companion followed Yasao into his tent. Once inside, Yasao took out a scroll and unrolled it on a small table, revealing it to be a very detailed map of Hi no Kuni, Land of Fire.

Yasao motioned for them to gather around the map, and when they did, he spoke, "Alright, as you could see we are already in process of breaking up. We will shift our camp here…" Yasao pointed the location on the map, "…To the northern border of Hi no Kuni. I presume two of you have other missions to accomplish, and without you it would be too risky for us to try crossing the border. Therefore, we'll wait for reinforcements, and once they arrive, we'll smuggle Jiraiya across the border. There are a lot of things we'd like him to tell us before he dies."

"Wouldn't it be too risky to stay in Hi no Kuni?" The young woman asked, meeting Yasao's gaze, "Without Hiroshi and me at your side, your team will lack significant strength…"

"…That's why we shall remain in hiding until reinforcements arrive." Yasao finished for her. "There is nothing to worry about: we can easily detect and avoid large teams, and my team will be more then a match for against a smaller one. The only one who worries me is Sharingan no Kakashi, but the possibility that Konoha will send him after us is too slim to be even considered."

"Alright then, Hiroshi and I will take a three hour rest before we'll be off for our next mission."

* * *

**Two hours and a half later…**

"She is gone" Yasao said, looking into Hiroshi's eyes.

"She?"

"Yes, the presence in your mind was definitely female."

"You mean to tell me somebody took control of me? Without me even noticing it?"

"So, you didn't notice anything? She must be quite skilled to do that."

Hiroshi frowned. He knew that he could trust Yasao when it came to mental matters, but still…

"I saw the subtle signs as well." His female companion said. "She wasn't half bad imitating a harsh sound-nin, but without knowing all your little habits, she couldn't fool somebody who knows you for years."

"Anyway, it will only play in our favour in the end." Yasao commented, putting his sunglasses back on.

"Do you think she was from the Hidden Leaf?"

"That is most likely. Either that, or somebody else was keeping an eye on Jiraiya. In either case, somebody will surely come to the bait we thrown in, and if we are lucky, Sharingan no Kakashi will be among them. Kiyoko, I am leaving Jiraiya to you, while I'll report back to Otokage-sama. Hiroshi, are you ready to play your part?"

"I am always ready. Are you?" Hiroshi half-turned to look at three smaller figures stepping from the shadows…

* * *

"So, they were specifically worried about Hatake Kakashi?" Tsunade asked, as she looked at two young ninja and their teacher who stood in her office.

She frowned slightly when the oldest of the three nodded in agreement. Of course, Kakashi was one of the best, probably the best of Konoha's ninja, but still, it was a little strange that the enemies were worried about him alone.

"_Could it be because of his Sharingan?"_ Tsunade wondered. _"After all, Kakashi is one of Konoha's two remaining possessors of Sharingan. But while Uchiha Sasuke also learned to use his Sharingan, he hasn't yet perfected his skill with it as much as his teacher did. Either way, we were lucky to get this information, not to mention location where they intend to move their camp. And speaking of information…"_

"How is Yamanaka Ino doing? If there is anything I can help with…"

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but there is nothing to worry about. She suffered from major Chakra depletion, but I believe she will fully recover in a few days."

_"After all, Ino maintained control over enemy's body with her Mind Body Switch Technique for almost half an hour… Although her fighting skills are still bellow average, Ino improved greatly in the past few months, especially when it comes to stamina and Chakra control. I am proud to have a student like her."_

"Very well, you can go now."

After the solder ninja and his two students bowed and left, Tsunade turned to her friend and personal assistant, Shizune.

"Send someone to find Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke. It is time to get Team Kakashi together again."

* * *

Author's notes:

Now when this chapter is done, I would like to clarify a couple of points, which won't likely be explained in the following chapters.

First, the main reason why Jiraiya "neglected" Naruto's training (despite offering to be his full-time teacher) was that he wanted Naruto to begin coming up with techniques of his own. Unfortunately Naruto isn't very good when it comes to looking "underneath the underneath", so he just continued practicing with techniques he knew rather then trying to come up with new ones. Well, at least he fully perfected Rasengan technique, which will open a lot of possibilities for him in the future.

Second, yes, it was our lovely Ino-chan Jiraiya happened to be spying on. Hearing Jiraiya and Kiyoko's speaking (she is a ninja after all, something neither Jiraiya nor Kiyoko took into account), she got dressed and went to investigate, catching up with the two to witness the final part of their battle. Then, with Kiyoko busy and Hiroshi distracted, Ino used her Mind Body Switch Technique on Hiroshi… And the rest, I guess, is obvious.

Ja ne, until the next chapter! Speaking of which…

Preview of the next chapter:

It's about time Team Seven gets together for a new mission, and it's a B-rank mission too! What, Sakura-chan won't be coming with us! She is in that Sunagakure, and nobody even told me about it! Oh well, three of us will do well enough, although I really wanted to show Sakura-chan how strong I became… (incoherent mumble at the background) …Hey, Shikamaru, what do mean by… What! It's a trap! And we are heading straight into it too, and there is no way people in Konoha can warn us or send us someone to back us up! Coming next, **"A B-Rank Mission or an A-Rank Trap! Team Kakashi's in Trouble!"** Contact our ambassador in Sunagakure at once!


	3. Chapter Three

Author's notes:

Again, I would like to thank those wonderful people who reviewed this story of mine. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!

You cannot imagine how happy I am to see your continuing interest in this story of mine, **Sam** AKA **RedFoxDemon**! I do try to pay attention to details, and I am glad that you liked it; I fear it may result in this story dragging a little at times, but hopefully nobody will mind that.

**YuKiKuRo**, extra thanks to you for reviewing both first and second chapters of this story of mine; I really appreciate your feedback, and hope that you'll like this chapter as much as you like the previous two!

**Aslan'sWhiteWitch**, **Hitaru**, thank you for liking and reviewing this story of mine! I am not answering your questions about pairing… :P …But I hope you won't be disappointed! And Aslan'sWhiteWitch, the answer to your second question will come in this chapter.

**J-M**, **Shiraga Obachan**, you too receive thanks for liking and reviewing this story of mine! I am trying the best I can with spelling and grammar (although English isn't my native language), as well as with writing as fast as I can (although it usually takes me a month, if not more, to write a chapter; sadly, I have other things to do in addition to fanfiction writing).

**Chapter Three**

**A B-Rank Mission or an A-Rank Trap! Team Kakashi's in Trouble!**

Naruto was panting slightly as he approached Hokage's tower. The summons some ninja he didn't know delivered were simple: "Hokage-sama wishes to see you in her office. ASAP."

One didn't have to think hard to guess that it wasn't cup of tea he was invited to, and no matter how rebellious Naruto could be at the times, he didn't feel like keeping Tsunade-baachan waiting. Especially considering that she could easily exclude him from whatever mission she had in mind for him.

So, Naruto delayed only for long enough to check on Perverted Hermit, but to Naruto's surprise he wasn't on his usual spot.

"_Perhaps he was summoned too? But then, why didn't he tell me? And anyway, didn't he quit being a ninja? Nah, he probably just chased off after some girl."_

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw two familiar figures approaching the Hokage's tower from the opposite side. Immediately getting his second wind, Naruto rushed forward to meet the two; though he would never admit it aloud, he missed his former sensei and even his friend-rival, and was very happy to find that he would be on the same team with them again.

Kakashi raised his hand in acknowledgement at Naruto's approach, while Sasuke, as usually, seemed to barely notice him; months of training in the wilderness obviously didn't improve the Uchiha survivor's people skills.

They exchanged brief greetings before continuing up the tower where Hokage's office was located; obviously all three of them were of the same mind about not keeping the beautiful Hokage waiting.

Finally, after a lengthy climb up the stairs they stood in her office, before the beautiful Tsunade, the Fifth Fire Shadow herself. Tsunade was looked through some papers when they arrived, but as soon as they entered her office she raised her eyes to look at them.

"I know, all of this will come as a surprise," Tsunade's voice was forcedly calm, though Kakashi noticed considerable worry behind her forced calmness, "That Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Three, was attacked and taken captive by sound-nin."

"Whaaat!" It was Naruto, of course, who interrupted her; Kakashi and Sasuke took the news far more stoically.

"Yes, one of Konoha's ninja, Yamanaka Ino, managed to observe the capture, staying hidden herself, and thus was able to report it, along with captors' affiliation."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of a familiar name; he vaguely remembered Ino being one of those annoying girls who used to kept throwing themselves onto him at every opportunity, and had her written off as 'good-for-nothing ninja-wannabe'… A category where most female ninja rightfully belonged, as far as Sasuke was concerned.

"Fortunately, Yamanaka Ino also learned where Jiraiya will be held for the time being, as well as that his captors were worried that we might send you, Hatake Kakashi, after them. They weren't worried, actually, they thought it was too slim a possibility to be worth worrying about. Well, we shall prove them wrong."

"I see." If Kakashi was surprised about his ever increasing fame, he didn't show it. "So you want me to go there with my Genin team?"

"Well, we'd normally send you along with three Jonin, but… Well, Konoha is still very shorthanded when it comes to high-ranked ninja. I am confident in your team's ability to complete this mission."

As he listened to conversation, Naruto couldn't help feeling that something was missing. And only now, at the second mentioning of Kakashi's team, it finally struck him.

"Wait a second! But what about Sakura-chan? Isn't she going to come with us?"

"Mm, you didn't know?" Kakashi's lone eye widened slightly in surprise as he looked at his former student.

"Huh? Know what?"

"Sakura serves as Konoha's ambassador in Sunagakure for almost a year now."

It was Sasuke who answered Naruto's question. Though his face remained emotionless as ever, he couldn't help sharing his teacher's surprise.

"_Even I bothered to ask what has happened with our former teammate."_

Naruto, on his part, was thinking along the similar lines.

"_Why didn't anyone tell me something like that before! I may have never asked, but still… Grrr, even Sasuke-teme knew…"_

"Anyway," It fall on Tsunade's shoulders to cut their conversation short; time was of the essence. "If you would like to have temporary teammate to replace Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru volunteered to accompany you on this mission. He will be a worthy addition to your team."

"We don't need anyone else."

Tsunade looked at Sasuke in slight surprise. Was he arrogant enough to think that Nara Shikamaru, a Chunin would only hinder them, or was it something else? But the Uchiha survivor was a difficult, nearly impossible person to read, and Tsunade instantly decided that it wasn't worth the trouble, especially now, time was of the essence.

Tsunade looked at Kakashi and then at Naruto, and when neither said anything, nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"So be it. Here is the map with location Jiraiya's captors' camp marked upon it…" Tsunade handed a scroll to Kakashi, "…And here is brief information about the enemies you might encounter, based upon Yamanaka Ino's observations…" Tsunade handed him another scroll, "I want you to take this mission with uttermost seriousness. According to Yamanaka Ino's information, a few enemies were going to leave for other missions, thus weakening guard around Jiraiya, but all together they were still strong enough to overpower one of the Legendary Three in the first place, and none of them is to be taken lightly. This mission is ranked as B-rank mission, but it may turn out to be an A-rank one. So, if you reconsider refusing Nara Shikamaru's assistance…"

"Yay, a B-rank mission!" Tsunade never got to finish, as a certain ninja in orange jumpsuit already rushed towards the door.

Kakashi looked at her apologetically.

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama," He said, "We will do our best."

Tsunade bowed and dismissed the remaining two ninja, and once they left the office, returned to her thoughts. Despite everything, despite the fact that Kakashi was probably Konoha's very best ninja, she couldn't help feeling that something was missing from the picture. Something important.

"_I am just worrying about him,"_ Tsunade admitted to herself, _"Though there is nothing to worry about. The enemies themselves let it slip that Kakashi was a danger to them; he will perform the mission perfectly and return back with Jiraiya. But then, why do I feel as though I am missing something important?"_

* * *

"How do you like that, wise guy?"

Shikamaru stared at the Shogi board lazily as grinning Ino took one of his pieces out. He didn't bother to reply, instead closing his eyes and forming a trademark circle with his hands, no doubt evoking some frustration in his beautiful opponent.

Now, after three days of rest, Ino nearly completely recovered from her major Chakra depletion, but she still felt a little too tired to resume her everyday activities normally.

"_No wonder, considering what she has done,"_ Shikamaru thought gloomy.

Ino may have done Konoha a valuable service, but it didn't mean that he approved of what she has done. Shikamaru still couldn't forget when they found her, nearly passed out from exhaustion. And her father, Yamanaka Inoichi nearly had heart attack when he was told what his beloved daughter has done; technically, only a Jonin was supposed to be able to keep Mind Body Switch Technique active for as long as Ino did and live to tell the tale.

But all these worrying weren't totally unrewarding to Shikamaru. He was pleasantly surprised at how genuinely happy Ino was when he offered to spend time with her, even though board games probably weren't her idea of fun activity, no matter how good she was at them.

"_Many would be quick to write Ino off as just a beautiful airhead,"_ Shikamaru mused, _"But in reality she is much more then that. She may be prone to rash actions, but she can be very smart when she wants to."_

With exception of his father, Nara Shikaku, nobody Shikamaru knew, not even his teacher, Sarutobi Asuma, could beat him in board games, but among people he knew, Ino was the one to come closest to doing so.

Shikamaru suddenly realized that his thoughts were drifting off the game he was playing, and that his impatient opponent was no doubt waiting for his next move, and he forced his mind to refocus on the game.

Recalling the pieces' positions, Shikamaru confirmed what he already knew: no matter how smart she was, Ino was hopelessly falling into his trap. So as not to irritate his opponent farther, Shikamaru opened his eyes and made his move. Afterwards, he half-closed his eyes and lazily watched Ino as she contemplated her next move.

Ino wasn't half bad when it came to strategy, but Shikamaru was still able to see through hers and made it seem like he was falling for it. And so, while Ino played under assumption that she finally beating him, Shikamaru made her move her pieces where he wanted them, while carefully maneuvering his into position for check and mate. Actually, for a moment he considered allowing her to win this match, but only for a moment; a real man couldn't afford to lose to a woman.

Still something kept worrying him, something unrelated to the game they were playing, well, related to it, actually, but in a strange way. For some reason, her felt a stab of worry each time he thought about how he made Ino think she was winning and move her pieces where he wanted them.

Shikamaru's eyes closed as his mind drifted away from the game once again; this time it was the ongoing mission to rescue Jiraiya, on the Legendary Three that came to his mind for some reason. Shikamaru was neither disappointed nor surprised when he was informed that newly re-formed Team Kakashi politely declined his assistance as a temporary member, though he DID think that his techniques would prove to be a very effective support for Naruto and Sasuke's close combat skills. Still, both of Hatake Kakashi's prize students were widely regarded as the best Genin of their generation, and Shikamaru had little doubt that they will perform well enough even without his assistance. Unless…

"It's your move, wise guy!"

…Ino's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. One glance at the board and Ino's grinning face told him that she didn't realized what he was up to, and even if she would, it was too late now. For some reason, this thought troubled Shikamaru.

"_How troublesome,"_ Shikamaru thought, _"Why the heck am I so worried about this mission? Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke will perform well enough, after all, the enemies themselves… Hmm, wait a second. It was so convenient that they mentioned the exact information that will help us to find and rescue Jiraiya. If we assume…"_

Shikamaru frowned, as he looked up from the board at his teammate.

"_Of course, there is no known way to discern that a person is a subjected to Mind Body Switch Technique, but someone who knows the subject well enough might be able to notice the difference in his behaviour. And if we assume that the enemies realized that one of them was possessed in such a manner… The pieces fit. Both Jiraiya and Kakashi are among Konoha's best ninja; Jiraiya must have been the primary target all along, but luring Kakashi into a trap would have been a nice bonus for them."_

Shikamaru looked at the board again.

"_The game will be over in nine moves at the most. Even once Ino realize what is going on, it will be too late. Just like… How troublesome."_

"Hay, what…" Ino began as Shikamaru jumped from the table uncharacteristically fast.

But the rest of mocking comment about him, a wise guy losing for once, get stuck in Ino's throat as soon as she saw a look of genuine worry upon his face.

"What's wrong, Shika-chan?" Ino asked instead, in much more gentle tone then she usually used with her lazy teammate.

"Must go to see Hokage-sama… Quickly… How troublesome…"

Was all Shikamaru mumbled as he dashed out of the room, leaving his dumbfounded teammate behind. Ino could only stare after him and think that now she saw everything.

* * *

"WHAT!"

"_How troublesome… Why all blond women have to be so loud?"_ Shikamaru thought as he looked at the woman the elders chose to be their Godaime Hokage.

"The pieces fit," Shikamaru explained, suppressing the sigh, "Not only Ino seemed to completely avoid enemies' suspicion, but they also explained their plans and weaknesses in much greater detail then it would have been necessary or reasonable. Too much for sheer luck. The only reasonable explanation would be…"

"…That they realized what was going on and used Ino to misinform us!" Tsunade finished for him. "Then they designed the trap for Kakashi! And to make it worse, they will know who they are going to face, while Kakashi will know next to nothing about them!"

Glad that he didn't have to elaborate on the subject farther, Shikamaru even took the trouble to nod in agreement.

"Alright, if that's all, you can go now." Tsunade said, already partially lost in her thoughts.

She barely noticed Shikamaru excusing himself and leaving the office as she frantically search her mind for some way to reach or at least contact Kakashi and his team now, three days after his departure, but finding none.

"Shizune!" She finally called, and her faithful friend and assistant almost immediately materialized beside her, as she always did.

"Is there any way we can contact Hatake Kakashi or send a team to catch up with Team Kakashi before they reach their destination?" Tsunade asked after she hastily filled Shizune into the situation.

But the answer was the one Tsunade expected and dreaded to hear: "I am sorry, Tsunade-sama, there is no way we can do that."

"_Kuso!"_ Tsunade slammed her fist upon the table hard, just short of breaking it, _"There MUST be something we can do! If we do nothing… Wait! Even if there is nothing we can do, what if there is someone else who can?"_

"Shizune, Sunagakure is famous for their fast response teams, aren't they?" Tsunade asked, though she already knew the answer, after all, she fought against Sunagakure's ninja in the Third Ninja War.

Shizune nodded in agreement, and seeing Tsunade's face brightening made her even more regretful of what she felt she had to add.

"But, Tsunade-sama, Sunagakure is not the kind of ally we can rely on! They allied with us because they saw our strength, but should we show as much as a hint of weakness…"

Shizune trailed off, but Tsunade was of a different mind regarding this.

"Then what are allies for if not to help each other in the time of need! I don't want to even discuss this! Contact our ambassador in Sunagakure at once!"

* * *

"Alright, let's see your best."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The older ninja nodded in approval as two more clones of his temporary student materialized beside her.

"_Technically, she could have created more clones with this technique, but with her remaining Chakra splitting equally among Shadow Clones, doing so would make each individual clone too weak to fight for prolonged period of time. No, two is the best number for her, though even so, using this technique is all-or-nothing move for her. Her stamina still leaves a lot to be desired, but at least she is aware her limitations."_

"Very well, let's begin." He said, looking at his student, the three of them, actually.

She didn't need to be asked twice and immediately came to motion along with her clones, swiftly moving to surround him. He didn't move instead calmly waiting for all three clones to come into striking range before executing his technique…

"Sabaku Senpuu Batsu!"

Everything happened so fast that most spectators wouldn't see anything but burst of motion, but as older ninja got back to his feet, the momentary clash was still vivid in his mind. One of the clones swiftly stepped in the path of his first blow, blocking it with B-rank Shield of Wind, while the second grappled him to stop the attack and the third thrown a punch that sent him flying for good thirty feet before he struck the ground hard.

"_The girl has gotten really strong and she is not shy use her strength."_ The older ninja thought as he got back to his feet; though as a Jonin, Baki was used to pain and injury, even he was no longer able to recover from Sakura's blows as quickly as he used to.

On her part, Sakura wasn't in hurry to press the attack; instead she stopped few feet away from him with her clones beside her and a slight smile upon her face. Baki responded to it with a frown, not because of her cheekiness, but because giving a superior opponent time to recover was a fatal mistake, the one that would get you killed in a real fight.

"_She seems to have gotten bolder too."_

Normally he wouldn't have viewed it as a bad thing, especially considering how timid she was when he first saw her. But there was line one shouldn't cross; after all he saw one too many good ninja fall prey to their own overconfidence.

If he created Shadow Clones of his own, the older ninja could have beaten his student with relative ease, but it was not his goal today. Today he was going to give her a sporting chance, at the same time putting her stamina to a test; no matter how good she was with the clones, he knew that executing and maintaining this technique was a great strain to her, and each additional technique she will have to perform will only add to it.

"Kaze no Yaiba!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Baki felt a beam of violently swirling wind appearing in his right hand: Blade of Wind. Though originally it was an assassination technique, deemed unfit for open combat because of immense difficulty of keeping it under control for a prolonged period of time, it was Baki who proved this belief wrong by being the first, and until recently the only person to effectively use it in open combat. And since no normal means and few techniques could stop Blade of Wind, it was effective indeed.

Sakura didn't keep him waiting, and each of her clones instantly manifested her own Blade of Wind, preparing to attack. Baki was surprised at the speed Sakura mastered some of his best techniques, though perhaps he shouldn't have been: her control was nearly perfect from the very start, and after all, control what they were mostly about.

Suddenly two of Sakura's clones burst into motion, charging at him from two sides. Baki side-stepped both attacked and then lunged at one of the clones, but she blocked his Blade of Wing with that of her, while the other clone lunged at him again, forcing him to take another step sidewards… Right into path of the third clone's strike.

Yet in the last moment her lightning-fast attack slowed, allowing Baki to jump away from attack's path a mere moment before it would hit him. Feeling the coming attack rather then seeing it, Baki managed to bring his own B-rank Shield of Wind before the attack hit; and while it wasn't powerful enough to stop Blade of Wind, it slowed Sakura's attack enough for Baki to dodge the attack that would otherwise hit.

Sakura and her clones didn't hesitate to follow him, but Baki was ready for them…

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

With a single lightning-fast motion, Baki threw two large shuriken at Sakura, the second initially hidden within the shadow of the first, though it quickly separated to strike at the different clone…

"Kaze no Tate!" (Shield of Wind)

And as he expected, both clones effortlessly deflected the shuriken with their C-rank Shields of Wind. But the seemingly ineffective attack actually had its intended effect: to take additional toll on Sakura's clones.

The next moment the foremost clone was upon Baki, but he parried her attack with ease and suddenly charged past her, almost surprising Sakura's other clone. Yet Sakura's reaction was excellent, the clone quickly stepped backwards, avoiding his Blade of Wind, while the other two clones moved forward, trying to surround him. But the clones' movements were getting slower; though their match lasted for less then a minute, maintaining two Shadow Clones and keeping three Blades of Wind under control was beginning to take its toll on her. And for a ninja, any weakness was death.

With lightning speed Baki danced past Sakura's clones, avoiding two slashes of their Blades of Wind, and spun another Desert Whirlwind Attack: a flurry of blows in all direction. And this time Sakura was not fast enough to block or dodge it…

To her credit, Sakura didn't lose consciousness, not even for a short while, like she did when he first used this technique on her, and in but a few seconds she was back on her feet, though with both her clones gone, needless to say. Yet it was clear to everyone who watched that this match was over: Sakura was already at the point of exhaustion, while Baki didn't even break into sweat.

"You did very well today," Baki complemented his student as he watched her catching her breath, "But not well enough for you to get overconfident. It would not have made much of difference this time, but the other time and with other opponent, the odds you are giving him may make difference between life and death. And finally, don't forget that while your skills are excellent, your stamina still leaves a lot to be desired. You may be able to defeat most Genin and even some Chunin, but until you learn to tap into more chakra, should you face a Jonin in real battle, your fate will be… Death."

Before Sakura could think of a reply, there was a sound of wings, and a falcon dived downwards. Despite the tiredness, Sakura instantly noticed a piece of paper tied to the bird's leg and outstretched her arm, allowing the bird to land on her wrist.

Sakura couldn't help feeling a stab of uneasiness as she took the message from the bird's leg; it wasn't time for the regular monthly messages she received, which basically told her to carry on. With uneasy feeling refusing to leave her, Sakura unfolded the message and began to read…

* * *

Preview of the next chapter:

This is Haruno Sakura! Oh no, Sasuke-kun, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei fell into sound-nin's trap, and they are hopelessly outclassed even as they attempt to fight for their lives! We have to help them, but how?.. We are authorized to use Sunagakure's secret weapon, the Windgliders? But can we truly get there in time on them?.. Coming next,** "The Wind That Blows Across the Great Distance" **I am going to fight too!


	4. Chapter Four

Author's notes:

As always, before starting this chapter, I would like to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter of this story of mine. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!

I am glad that you liked this story of mine, Tenshi-san (**angelic.missy**)! Yes, there will definitely be romance and consequently parings later in the story (although Action/Adventure is this story's primary genre), but as I said, I won't reveal them just yet.

Amber-san (also known as **Kiba-and-Sakura-4ever**), extra thanks to you for leaving such a lengthy and fun review! I enjoyed every bit of it! I must say that this story's pairings won't include the one you seem to like the most (myself, I believe Kiba has his eyes set on someone closer, if you know who I am talking about), but I promise that Kiba will have his moment later on (as will most other characters, though).

And finally, I also thank everyone else who reviewed the last chapter of this story of mine, namely: **NA**, **Sillymail**, **Mezumi Azuma**, **kai'sgirl510**, **Suicidal Butterfly** and **Natsuhiboshi**! Mezumi Azuma, the answer to your question will come in this chapter. And, Suicidal Butterfly, extra thanks to you too for adding my story to your C2!

Oh, and before I start this chapter, I want to warn everyone that my knowledge of Naruto is based solely on anime (which I have watched up to Episode 107 so far), so if certain characters who didn't appear in anime by that time (like Chiyo-baasama) will be out-of-character, gomen nasai, please forgive me! I am trying my best with the information I have! Anyway, without further ado…

**Chapter Four**

**The Wind That Blows Across the Great Distance**

"…And so, in the name of the Hidden Leaf Village, I ask for Sunagakure's assistance in aiding Team Kakashi against the sound-nin."

Temari couldn't help being impressed at how official and forcefully calm Sakura sounded as she explained situation to Chiyo-baasama, one Sunagakure's elders, especially considering that she was on the point of tears just a few minutes ago. During the time Sakura spent in Sunagakure, she and Temari became close friends, almost like sisters, and Temari understood what she felt like now; the Sand Siblings were known for being merciless, sometimes even cruel towards their enemies, but they knew what it was to look after their own.

"With some of their best ninja gone, Konoha would become a shadow of its former glory." Chiyo said and paused to think, then glancing at Baki and asking, "What do you think, Baki?"

Sakura could barely hide her nervousness as she waited for Baki's answer, for she was smart enough to realize what was being decided: whether Suna would benefit more from alliance with Konoha, or from its demise. And if it would be the later, Sakura doubted she would live to report their decision to Hokage-sama.

"In the past year we faced no hostility on the part of Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village." Baki said finally, after some thinking, "Yet with Yondaime Kazekage murdered by Orochimaru, there can be no doubt that we are enemies. And since we have little information on how much strength Otogakure truly possesses, I believe we cannot afford to lose an ally like Konohagakure. Or Sharingan no Kakashi."

Chiyo nodded in agreement; it was a common knowledge that she had little love for Konoha's famous Copy Ninja, but she couldn't help agreeing with Baki's reasoning. He wasn't known as one of Sunagakure's finest military minds for nothing.

"So be it. I am leaving this matter in Team Baki's hands. You are authorized to use Windgliders."

Understanding that they are dismissed, Baki and his team bowed deeply and made their exit.

* * *

Sakura was both worried and excited as she went along with her team out of Kazekage's tower, where Sunagakure's elders resided until the new Kazekage would be chosen. Back in Konoha Sakura read everything she could get about Ninja Wars, and knew that Sunagakure's ninja were famous for their mobility: wherever one of their teams was in trouble, the reinforces were usually quick to arrive. And despite ever-growing worry about her former teammates, Sakura couldn't help being excited about becoming a part of one of Sunagakure's famous fast response teams.

"I want you to stay in Suna."

"What?"

"You are no longer the inexperienced girl you came into Suna, but with your lack of experience with Windgliders, you will only hold us back this time."

"Not to mention that it will be nothing like C-rank missions you are used to doing." Kankuro added his voice to that of his teacher.

Hearing this made Sakura stop in her tracks. She spent nearly a year as a temporary member of Team Baki, and none of them tried to talk her into staying out of harm's way ever before, and Sakura couldn't help realizing that they wouldn't try to do it now without a good reason. But still…

"These are my former teammates we are talking about!" Sakura was almost shouting as she spoke, "I am going too!"

"No." Unlike Sakura, Baki didn't see fit to raise his voice, "As your teacher, I forbid it."

Baki's calm reply cut through all Sakura's arguments: although she was from Konoha, and he – from Suna, by accepting Baki as her teacher, even if temporary, Sakura bound herself to obeying his commands. Although…

"No." Sakura's voice was now forcedly calm too, "As Konoha's ambassador, I demand to see that the agreement between Konoha and Suna is being carried out."

Baki barely suppressed a sigh as he looked at his temporary student. Sakura couldn't find a worse time and situation to stop being obedient student she was until then, but the he had no arguments against her last remark.

"Very well, so be it," Baki said, looking at Sakura with silent disapproval in his eyes "But when it comes to battle, I want you to keep close to Gaara. We are going to face an unknown number of ninja of unknown strength, and should the need arise, Gaara is capable of protecting you better then any of us."

Sakura was already mentally celebrating her victory, but the last comment made her frown.

"I am going to fight too!"

"I am not saying that you won't. I expect that all of us will have to do our share of fighting. But as you pointed out, you are still Konoha's ambassador, and it is still our duty to ensure your safety. Now let's proceed."

And Baki resumed walking, with Sakura and her temporary teammates following him.

"By the way," Sakura spoke again after a few minutes of silence, "I was wondering how are we going to…"

* * *

The fivesome stood atop the cliff just outside Suna, where five hang-gliders were already prepared for them; each consisting of a large wing made of cloth, with a handle beneath it.

"We are going to fly there on them?" Sakura couldn't keep the shock from her voice as she spoke, "But, but… That's impossible! Sure, wind is strong here, but it still isn't strong enough to keep the hang-gliders flying for that long. Not to mention that wind can change any minute."

"Oh, really?" It was Temari who spoke, grinning at her younger teammate, "But you are forgetting something, Sakura-chan. You are in team with Sunagakure's best Windcaster!"

"She is right," Kankuro confirmed Temari's boasting, "Temari's skills as a Windcaster are unmatched, and these hang-gliders are specifically designed to be lighter and more receptive to Chakra-infused wind then any normal hang-glider would be. And since Sunagakure's Windcasters are able to conjure the wind from any direction, our Windgliders are capable of flying as long as necessary and as fast as…"

"How fast are we able to fly on them?" Sakura asked.

Her heart was racing as the unasked question sounded in her mind, _"Will we be able to get there in time on them?"_

"I suppose the question is: how fast are you able to fly on them?" There was still slight disapproval in Baki's eyes as he looked at Sakura, "The primary limit of Windglider's speed is its user's ability to keep Windglider stable; and while the four of us are skilled with Windgliders, you are not. Temari will be able to make Windgliders fly faster then anyone could handle them, so your ability, or as the case may turn out to be, inability to handle Windglider will be the only thing that will hold us back."

As she listened to Baki's explanation, Sakura couldn't help feeling a little ashamed of her earlier behaviour; she could see now that Baki's earlier words about her holding them back would likely be true, at least to some degree.

"What am I to do?" Sakura asked finally, resisting the urge to lower her eyes.

"Actually, not much." This time, it was Temari who replied Sakura's question, "I will be the one who will be doing most of the job: conjuring and directing the wind that will get us to the right place. All you have to do is to keep your Windglider steady; if it loses its balance, it will spin out of control, and then even my wind won't be able to keep it from falling, no matter how strong it will be. And needless to say, if you fall it will be death of yours; none of us will be able to save you."

When Sakura gave her a small nod of understanding, Temari spoke again, far too cheerfully for Sakura's liking, "Alright, let's get going! Baki, you first!"

Sakura watched as Baki picked one of hang-glider and stepped towards cliff's edge, keeping the wing of his hang-glider horizontally, while Temari performed a series of complicated non-standard hand-seals: a sign of a Secret technique. And in a few seconds, a powerful gust of wind literary tore the older ninja off his spot, throwing him off the cliff's edge. Yet Baki managed to keep the wing of his hang-glider horizontally and the wind simply carried him on; unlike it would have been with a normal hang-glider, the Windglider didn't lose its height as it flew on.

"Gaara!"

Now it was the turn for the anti-social Shukaku's container to step towards the cliff's edge, which he did as wordlessly as his teacher did. And in a few more seconds, a second Windglider joined the first in the sky.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura barely suppressed a gulp as she stepped towards the edge.

"_I can do it, I HAVE to do it! I won't give up now, not after going to such lengths to persuade Baki-sensei to include me into this mission! Not when Sasuke-kun and others need my help!"_

Sakura thoughts trailed off as a powerful gust of wind tore her off his spot and threw her off the cliff's edge, like it happened with Baki and Gaara. But with some effort Sakura managed to keep the wing of her hang-glider horizontally, and the wind carried her on after Baki and Gaara.

_"It is not that difficult,"_ Sakura thought after the initial fear passed, _"The skills of controlling my every move during the combat can also be applied to keeping the Windglider steady. And with my Chakra control, I don't have to worry about losing my grip on the Windglider's handle."_

It was then Sakura noticed Temari's Windglider that took place beside hers; by manipulating the wind that carried each Windglider, Temari could keep them in close group despite the intervals between launches.

"So, how is it, Sakura-chan?" Temari asked, grinning at her younger teammate.

"It's not that difficult," Sakura replied, braving a smile to her older teammate; although she definitely didn't enjoy the flight like Temari seemed to.

"How fast are we going?" Sakura asked then.

"About three times and a half faster then we would have on foot," Was Temari's reply, "At this rate, we would be on spot in about three days."

Temari didn't have to tell her that it would be too late; according to their calculations, Team Kakashi was already nearing the trap, they would reach it the day after tomorrow at the most. And watching Temari's grin, Sakura gave her a reply the blond kunoichi was expecting to hear:

"Double the speed."

* * *

It was already dark when Temari lowed their Windgliders atop one of the small mountains that could be encountered in Land of Wind every now and then. She could easily make Windgliders gain attitude when they were already in the air, but raising them into the air from the ground would be difficult even for her.

Once on the solid ground, the small group took a while discuss their plans before going to rest.

"Unless they got delayed in the way, Team Kakashi should be on spot in about ten hours." Baki explained, "It is more then enough for us to cover the remaining distance, but unfortunately, there is one problem. With most of Hi no Kuni coveredwith thick woods, it will be impossible for us to spot them from above. Therefore, the only thing we can do is to try to met with them on spot… And here comes another problem: considering that enemies are strong enough to be sure they would defeat Sharingan no Kakashi, there is no guarantee we would be able to handle them on our own. The best would be to arrive on spot at the same time Team Kakashi would and face the enemies together."

"So where is the problem with that?" Temari asked, "We know the time of their arrival… More or less, at least."

"More or less," Baki accented, "And there is another thing. They would be there in about ten hours, while a day's standard march is eight hours. Most likely, they would march for a day, then stay for night's rest and arrive the next day, but they can also make a forced march and arrive on spot tomorrow."

Baki turned to Sakura as he asked his next question, "Sakura, Team Kakashi is your former team, and you know them better then anyone. Which choice would they make?"

And despite the tiredness and the gravity of situation, Sakura couldn't help smiling; the answer was so obvious!

"Of course, any sane person would take a rest before facing the enemy, rather then making a forced march and coming to battle tired…"

* * *

**The next morning, far away…**

"So, our choices are following," The famous Sharingan no Kakashi said to his students, "We can either march for eight hours, then stay for night's rest and arrive the next day, or we can make a forced march and arrive there this evening. According to our information, the enemies aren't going to move for a few more days, so we are not in hurry… And so, I am leaving choice to you."

Unbeknown to the two, their sensei already knew what their answer will be.

"Yay, finally we get to face the enemies!" Naruto exclaimed, just as his teacher predicted, "And extra two hours are nothing for me! Finally I'll get to show what I can do!"

"_No matter how much time passes, Naruto will always remain the same, from the look of things."_ Kakashi thought, smiling slightly behind his mask before turning to his other student.

"For once, I agree with him." Sasuke said calmly, catching his sensei's gaze, "If enemies move off earlier then we expect, it would be difficult to locate them again, so we must fall upon them as quickly as possible."

Kakashi smiled again, though he made sure his smile would remain hidden from his students.

"_Sasuke would have never admitted it aloud, but he is actually as anxious to test his skill against that of sound-nin as Naruto is."_

"Alright then, let's get a move on."

This may not be Sasuke's main reason for hurrying, but Kakashi knew that his student's words shouldn't be disregarded; they could be sure that their information was 100 correct, and the sooner they confront the sound-nin and free Jiraiya – the better.

* * *

**And ten hours later…**

"Who goes there?" One of the two men asked, as they heard approaching footsteps.

They both wore studded leather armor over the black clothes, complete with boots, and were armed with longswords and light crossbows.

"Simple travelers from Yuki no Kuni," Was the reply, as two more similarly dressed and armed men came within the first two's view, "We were wondering if you could direct us to Kirigakure no Sato."

"It is to the north, just beyond the canyons." The first man replied, and the two who arrived nodded: the seemingly inconspicuous phrases were actually the password.

"Ano… I am not that good with geography, but isn't Kirigakure supposed to be on the island? Somewhere to the east, from what I heard…"

"Huh?"

"Rasengan!"

The four men never realized what was going on, let alone drew their weapons, as four more figures jumped on them, each with spiraling sphere made of pure Chakra in his hands. And the next moment all four were on the ground unconscious.

"Thanks, guys!" The blonde ninja in orange jumpsuit said, stepping out of bushes and grinning to his Shadow Clones before making them disappear. His two teammates were next to step out of bushes, and neither of them looked happy about what Naruto did, though for different reasons.

"These guys weren't even ninja," Sasuke commented, looking at the unconscious bodies in contempt, "They were just some common mercenary rubbish, and we could take them on in a moment's notice with Taijutsu alone, without wasting Chakra on any techniques."

"Ha, you are just jealous that I…"

"And if they would have been ninja disguised as common mercenaries," Kakashi added, cutting Naruto's reply short, "They would have sounded alarm the moment they heard you."

"Hm, either way, they would pose no threat, no matter whether it is four or forty of them."

Kakashi turned to his other student with noticeable disapproval in his only visible eye. Both his students were powerful, especially for someone of their age and rank, but Kakashi found himself wishing they faced defeat more often. More often then not, these two found themselves victorious over superior opponents, which made them both overconfident. But powerful though they certainly were, there were many other powerful ninja in the world, and Kakashi could only hope that when someone proves to his students that they are not undefeatable, they would live to get experience from it.

"Don't get careless," Kakashi finally spoke aloud, "According to our information, there will be at least one ninja among the enemies, almost certainly of Jonin rank. And a large number of weaker opponents may be too much even for a ninja…"

* * *

"Rasengan!"

As much as he hated to admit it, Kakashi was forced to eat his earlier words as he watched an army of Naruto's Shadow Clones charging the mercenaries, taking down all except for the few who separated themselves from the main force.

Almost lazily, Kakashi drew a kunai and threw it at one such mercenary who was aiming at him from the crossbow; the projectile flew with lightning speed and deadly precision, catching the mercenary in throat before he could fire his weapon. Then he glanced sidewards, where Sasuke faced a half-dozen more mercenaries.

Like his teacher, Sasuke didn't see fit to use even the simplest of techniques, fighting with his bare hands and feet. But although the mercenaries were armed and outnumbered the young ninja six to one, their skill was nowhere near Sasuke's, and one by one they fall unconscious to the ground.

It didn't escape Kakashi's attention that for all their bravado, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't bring themselves to finish the enemies off for good. It was one thing about his students Kakashi wouldn't like to see changed, but he knew too well that someday they will have to kill or be killed.

Pushing the sad thoughts aside, Kakashi looked around for more enemies, but found none. Those who escaped the army of Naruto's Shadow Clones were already dealt with by Sasuke and himself. The battle was won, and easily at that, but something was definitely missing from the picture, and this became apparent even to his students.

"Hey, Sensei!" Naruto shouted, running up to Kakashi, who was quickly checking the tents, "You said there would be a ninja here!"

"He is not here." Kakashi replied, hoping his students would notice a hint of worrying under his forced calmness.

"Ah, but…" Naruto paused, and then asked, "But where is Perverted Hermit?"

"He is not here either." Kakashi replied, swiftly turning from the last tent, _"It is quite possible that the enemy ninja choose to escape with the prisoner at the first sounds of battle, but…"_

"Perhaps he wasn't here to begin with." Kakashi added, glancing over the woods that surrounded the camp.

Sasuke took the cue and moved to stand back-to-back with his teacher, glancing over the other part of the woods. Naruto, on the other hand, remained clueless.

"Huh, what do mean by…"

"Baka! He means it's a trap, and you readily stepped into it!"

"What?"

The three turned to the sound of the voice to see a young girl, of about Naruto and Sasuke's age, if not younger, sitting on a tree's branch with her sandaled feet dangling in the air. She was dressed in black miniskirt and white sleeveless vest, and had her black hair done in a short pigtail. Naruto immediately realized that she was pretty cute. Kakashi and Sasuke, however, devoted their attention to hitai-ate that was tied around the girl's left thigh, which proudly displayed the symbol of the Hidden Sound Village.

"The Hidden Leaf is a peace-loving village, we shouldn't expect much from them." A boy of girl's age said, stepping on the nearby branch from behind the tree's trunk.

He had somewhat unruly light brown hair, and was dressed in silvery-gray short-sleeved vest and shorts. His hitai-ate was tied around his right shoulder.

"Hm, if you say so, I'll leave them to you three." A noticeably older voice came.

Turning to the new voice, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke saw two more people standing on another tree: a man of about Kakashi's age, and a boy of about the same age as the other boy and girl; both well-built and with black hair, they could almost pass for father and son. The man was dressed in dark gray pants and jacket and also wore sturdy leather bracers and leggings as well as standard-issue ninja sandals. He wore his hitai-ate at its intended place on his forehead protector. The boy was similarly dressed, but lacking bracers and leggings, and his pants and jacket were light gray, almost white in color. The strangest thing about him was his hitai-ate: it was pulled down from his forehead to completely cover the boy's eyes.

"_But taking everything into account, it is not that strange after all."_ Kakashi thought as he studied the pair, _"I guess I know who of them is my intended opponent."_

"Okay!" The girl exclaimed cheerfully meanwhile, "I will take the black-haired one! I wanna see if the rumors are true!"

The girl turned to Sasuke, winked to him and added slyly, "You know? They say that the only surviving Uchiha was the weakest of their clan. Is that so?"

The older sound-nin nodded to his female student in agreement, before turning to blindfolded boy beside him.

It was of no surprise to Kakashi when the older sound-nin said, "Taboshi, Sharingan no Kakashi is yours."

"And I get what's left, eh?" The other boy said, and then looked at Naruto with mock annoyance, "Hey, try not to disappoint me… Too much."

"Ha, I am going to…"

Kakashi blinked in surprise as Naruto's shout was cut short, and stared at the boy in silvery-gray clothes, who now stood next to the spot Naruto occupied a moment ago. As Kakashi's lone eye wandered in search for his student, he immediately spotted him unsteadily rising from the fallen tent he crushed into. Then Kakashi once again shifted his gaze to Naruto's opponent.

"_This boy is fast."_

"You were saying?" The before-mentioned boy teased, flashing a cruel smile at Naruto.

"Talk all you want! I am not even…"

Naruto's reply ended in a cough, and he coughed up some blood before raising surprised gaze at his opponent. The blow was stuck so fast that Naruto didn't even realize how strong it was at first, but now pain and injuries were letting themselves felt.

But Naruto would not himself be beaten easily. Ignoring the pain in his stomach, he quickly performed a series of hand-seals and…

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

…Made a dozen Shadow Clones of himself appear out of the thin air, earning attention of his opponent's teacher.

"_Shadow Clones? Not illusions, but actually physical replicas of the user? This boy is more powerful then he looks. Dashi is best in one-on-one combat, and Shadow Clones could present a problem even for him…"_ The older sound-nin let his thoughts trail off for a moment as he looked at the large puff of smoke appearing on the battlefield, _"…But only if their user can control them well enough."_

The boy merely waited as all Naruto's Shadow Clones charged at him at once and disappeared the moment before they were upon him, making all Naruto's Shadow Clones clash together and disappear.

"Pathetic." The boy said, half-turning to his teacher and teammates, "You can go ahead and get the other two, I can finish this one anytime."

For a moment, Naruto was speechless from anger, but then he quickly repeated the hand-seals, this time creating over thirty Shadow Clones of himself.

"What would you say now?" Despite the beating he took earlier, Naruto grinned at his opponent, imagining his confidence replaced with fear in the face of such odds.

Yet before Naruto could command his clones to attack, he struck a tree hard, and with his control slipping, the Shadow Clones disappeared into the thin air.

"I'd say the number of clones wouldn't matter." The boy said, and this time Naruto couldn't think of a reply…

"_That's bad,"_ Kakashi thought, as he watched Naruto's short combat with the boy in silvery-gray clothes, _"Despite his power and endurance, there is nothing Naruto can do against an opponent that fast. It will only be a matter of time before Naruto won't be able to take any more blows. Sasuke and I are the only ones who stand a chance against this kind of opponent, but even we will be hard pressed to match his speed; our eyes would be able to follow his movements, but would our bodies be able to react quickly enough?"_

Yet Kakashi knew that such thoughts were be pointless at the moment; if either of them were to come to Naruto's aid, they would have to fight for such opportunity to begin with. And so, Kakashi was not surprised when the boy in light gray clothes jumped off to the ground in front of him. He remained blindfolded, but Kakashi had no doubt that it would prove little hindrance to him in combat; it was obviously him sound-nin intended to lure into this trap, and if this boy was chosen as his opponent, the sound-nin must have had no doubt in his ability to defeat him. That was bad.

"Sasuke, go help Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, before beginning to slowly approach his opponent; he knew nothing about his opponent while the boy certainly had all information about him the sound-nin could gather, and Kakashi knew that if he wanted to have any hopes of prevailing against this opponent, he will have to approach this combat with extreme caution.

Sasuke didn't wait to be asked twice, and he immediately rushed off to where Naruto was, but only to find his way blocked by the girl, the same one who insulted him earlier. And Sasuke could help gritting his teeth, for even though he tried his best not to show it, her jab did wound him; he didn't train to become Konoha's best Genin to get insulted by his juniors, and a girl to boot.

"Running away already?" The girl spoke, not even bothering to assume combat stance; Sasuke wasn't sure if she was stupid enough to misunderstand his rush or if she was simply mocking him, "Like the day of massacre in your estate, I suppose?"

Very obviously disregarding Sasuke, the girl half-turned to where Naruto was taking heavy beating from his opponent and continued, "Even your friend tries his best, not that his best is anywhere near being enough, but still. Not that I should have expected the same from the Uchiha runner."

After such a speech, even Sasuke's usual coldness couldn't handle the anger boiling within him; knowingly or unknowingly, this girl hit one too many weak spots of his. And to receive such insults from a girl younger then him, whose behaviour made Naruto look almost serious, was doubly insulting to Sasuke.

"_Is she underestimating me, or just stupid?"_ Sasuke asked himself mentally, _"Doesn't matter, I'll shut her up for good with one blow! And to think there was a time I seriously considered taking that Orochimaru's offer and leaving for __Otogakure… Any village that would allow somebody like this girl became even a Genin obviously cannot offer anything in regard of training and power."_

Meanwhile Kakashi, who had yet to engage his opponent, cast a glance in direction of Sasuke and his female opponent and frowned. Like his student, he found the girl's careless behaviour strange and illogical.

"_She is either very power, or very stupid, or…"_ It was then Kakashi saw Sasuke concentrating and realized what technique he was going to use, "Sasuke, wa…"

"Chidori!"

Too late!

Moving with blinding speed, Sasuke covered the short distance between himself and the girl, forming a ball of pure Chakra in his hand along the way. And the girl never even realized what has happened before Sasuke rammed his deadly technique through her chest, killing her on spot.

Though this was his intention all along, as the girl's warm blood ran down his hand, Sasuke found himself shocked at result of his own actions; for all his anger and bravado, he half-expected the girl dodge his blow or come up with some kind of defense technique, but she turned out to be exactly who she appeared to be: a stupid and incompetent ninja-wannabe. And now she became his first kill.

Sasuke was still trying to sort his feelings, when the girl's body disappeared along with all traces of blood he spilt, causing Sasuke to experience another shock.

"_A clone? But when did she… She was a clone to begin with!"_ Realization stuck Sasuke at the same time with three bites at his back, _"She wasn't underestimating me! She was making me underestimate her!"_

With legs failing beneath him, Sasuke fall to his knees, angry at both the girl for tricking him, and himself for falling for it. But he knew it was too late for regrets as he felt poison cruising through his veins, immobilizing him; one blow was all it took her to bring him down…

"_One down, two to go,"_ The older sound-nin thought, as the watched what looked like three long snakes shooting from the woods and biting at Sasuke's back, _"Behind Saye's appearance of carelessness is hiding one of the most shrewd and cunning minds Otogakure has to offer, the one that is always ready for a trap, and ready with a trap. Saye may not be particularly good in open combat, but use of stealth and illusions often allows her to defeat opponents stronger then herself. She is truly a worthy addition to Team __Hiroshi…"_

**(Flashback)**

"I'll take these two."

"An excellent choice, Hiroshi-kun, they are the very best of the first generation of sound-nin. Though they are but eight years old, these boys have already suppressed most Genin and even some Chunin in skill and power, all they need is experience. But who would you choose as your third student, Hiroshi-kun?"

He frowned.

"Must I take the third student?"

The question seemed to amuse the man he was talking to.

"Such is tradition, Hiroshi-kun."

His frown deepened.

"If these two are to work in team with anybody, it will have to be somebody strong, somebody who would be able to complement them, not to hold them back."

"Ah, I see your dilemma, Hiroshi-kun."

**(/Flashback)**

Kakashi didn't have much time to contemplate Sasuke's speedy defeat, for the next moment the blindfolded was upon him with a flurry of blows, making Kakashi immediately regret getting distracted and leaving initiative to his opponent. Though Kakashi was a full-ranked Jonin, skilled in all three ninja disciplines, he specialty was always Ninjutsu, and had to admit that he couldn't compete in pure Taijutsu with a true master of this discipline. And the brief few seconds of exchanging blows and dodges with the blindfolded boy made Kakashi realize that he easily fall into this category.

"_He probably wouldn't be a match against more experienced Taijutsu master, like Maito Gai,"_ Kakashi thought, as he narrowly dodged blow after blow, _"But I will be…"_

Kakashi's lone eye fall on something at the same time the blindfolded boy hit him square in chest… Striking a piece of wood instead. But the blindfolded boy never hesitated, immediately jumping towards Kakashi's new position, evoking no small surprise from him.

"_How is it possible? Body Switch Technique involves moving so fast that no eye can follow the user's movement, yet this boy seem to be able to follow mine, and while being blindfolded at that! Yet despite being blindfolded, he fights as well as some of Konoha's best Taijutsu masters… What kind of technique this boy uses?"_

Kakashi had little time to think of possible ways to defeat his opponent, but one thing he realized immediately was that his best technique, Lightning Blade would do him no good here; with reaction the blindfolded boy displayed, Kakashi had no doubt he would easily dodge any straightforward attack, even the one as fast as Chidori or Lightning Blade.

But Kakashi didn't have time to think more of it, for the blindfolded boy was upon him the very next moment, unleashing a flurry of lightning-fast blows upon Kakashi. Kakashi narrowly dodged the first half-dozen of them, blocked the seventh… And suddenly felt a shockwave going through his left arm, which Kakashi used to block the blindfolded boy's blow. Before Kakashi recovered from momentary shock, the blindfolded boy scored another hit, this time his blow struck the famous Copy Ninja square in the chest. Like the previous blow, this one wasn't particularly strong, yet it sent another shockwave through Kakashi's body, and the famous Copy Ninja felt another surge of pain as something cracked in his chest; Kakashi gloomily realized that it were his ribs.

Kakashi stumbled away from the opponent, who turned out to be far more dangerous then he first realized, but a few broken ribs were making themselves felt, and his movements were nowhere near as fast as before he took the blows, making it relatively easy for his opponent to catch up with him, unleashing more blows upon the Copy Ninja. No longer capable of dodging the blindfolded boy's lightning-fast blows, Kakashi was still able to block most of them, but each blow, whether blocked or no sent another shockwave through his body. And in but a few seconds, Konoha's famous Copy Ninja fall to his knees, no longer capable of standing, let alone fighting.

"Two down, one to go." The older sound-nin proclaimed loudly, not able to hide pride from his voice; his students performed fully up to his expectations, "Dashi, finish him off."

"Okay, Sensei!" The boy in silvery-gray clothes, who name was Dashi, answered.

"Looks like fun ends here," Dashi said to Naruto then, unclenching his fist, which Naruto felt upon his skin quite a few times in the last minute.

"Do you know what happens if I strike you with my hand instead of a fist while moving at such speed?" Catching Naruto's confused expression, Dashi smiled cruelly and continued, "I guess not. Well, to make it short, my hand will cut through your body like a hot knife through butter. You will be dead in a single blow."

Still smiling, Dashi took his time aiming his hand at Naruto, and it was only then when realization finally struck him:

"_I will not be able to dodge this blow! That is… IT! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"_

The next moment Dashi disappeared into the thin air, and Naruto knew what would come next: a blow he had no hope of dodging. Almost against his will, Naruto's eyes closed as he prepared for inevitable... But instead of Dashi's supposedly all-cutting hand, the only things that struck Naruto were bits of earth.

"Huh?"

Naruto opened his eyes and quickly saw his opponent lying on the ground a few meters away from him. Before Naruto could fully comprehend what was going on, Dashi half-rose and disappeared again, leaving Naruto starring at the large gash that appeared in the ground on the spot Dashi lay at a moment ago.

"What the?.."

"Sorry, we're late!"

"Huh?"

Naruto turned to the sound of vaguely familiar voice and saw a familiar blond kunoichi landing softly to the ground, using her fan as a makeshift parachute.

"You!" Naruto "But…"

"Abunai!"

Naruto was about to say "Huh?" for the third time when he was pushed to the ground hard, and heard a whistle of wind immediately afterwards, as Temari apparently launched another of her attacks.

As Naruto looked at Temari, he saw her in her combat stance, with blood running down her right side from the blow Naruto realized must how been intended for him. But…

"How did you?.."

"It was the most logical thing for him to do: to finish you off before turning his attention to me. So when he disappeared, I immediately knew who his target will be." Temari explained, before Naruto fully worded his question, "He is quick on his feet, though."

With both Temari and Dashi pausing, studying each other, Naruto got a chance to get up and sneak a glance at how his teammates were doing. Both Sasuke and Kakashi were still on the ground, Sasuke paralyzed with poison and Kakashi severely beaten, but their opponents had other things to worry about right now. The blindfolded boy and faced the larger figure of Sand Siblings' teacher, and of Sasuke's opponent Naruto saw only three long snakes swiftly withdrawing into the forest as the black-clad figure Naruto recognized as Temari's brother rushed off into the forest in pursuit of the girl from Sound.

"_That's bad."_

The older sound-nin, Hiroshi didn't waste time on trying to figure out how the Hidden Leaf's reinforcements managed to catch up with Sharingan no Kakashi and his team, but this answer to this question became obvious as soon as he recognized the attacking ninja as sand-nin.

"_Windgliders! And to think that we expected Sunagakure to be in too much of a disarray without Kazekage to be of any threat!"_

The next moment Hiroshi jumped off to the ground to join the battle; he had great faith in his students, but now situation was beginning to get dangerous, and the sooner they'll finish the new enemies off – the better.

But before Hiroshi could help any of his students, two more figures, a girl and a boy, landed to the ground before him, blocking his path. The boy was the first to act, making some non-standard hand-seal, causing the stopper of his gourd to uncork by itself and making the sand spill out of it.

"_Sabaku no Gaara,"_ Was all Hiroshi had time to think before the sand rushed at him with incredible speed.

Focusing Chakra in his feet, Hiroshi pushed himself into air, narrowly avoiding Gaara's deadly sand, only to notice three kunai flying his way.

"Oto no Tate!" (Shield of Sound) Hiroshi shouted, emitting the powerful sonic barrier that deflected kunai sidewards.

But everything was only beginning, and the moment Hiroshi landed he hand to jump away again in order to narrowly dodge the flying kick the girl threw at him. Finally allowed to catch his breath a several meters away from the pair, Hiroshi looked at Gaara and his female companion darkly.

"_That's very bad. I would be able to best either of them, but against both of them at once, even I would be hard-pressed to win."_

The girl was about to step towards him, and Hiroshi was beginning to think of a way to regroup his team, when Gaara suddenly raised his arm to block the girl's movement, surprising both her and Hiroshi.

"This one is mine."

"_Soka. So, that's how he wants it."_

Hiroshi cast a quick glance around to see the sand forming from the ground all around him…

"You won't be able to dodge this one."

"_Sabaku no Gaara,"_ Hiroshi thought, turning to face his opponent again, _"Whom many believe to be invincible. Of course, they merely do not know where to strike."_

As the sand prison was about to close on him, Hiroshi began making hand-seals of his own jutsu, but his words were muffled in ever increasing sound of shifting sand, as the sand prison finally closed over Hiroshi…

"NOOOOO! MAKE IT STOP!"

Taken by surprise, Sakura turned her head to the scream only to see her companion, Gaara, one of the strongest ninja she has ever met on the ground, holding his head with both his hands and screaming in pain. Painfully slowly, Sakura raised her eyes to look at the sound-nin they were facing; Gaara's sand prison around him crumbled before Gaara could squeeze it, leaving Hiroshi completely unscathed…

* * *

Author's notes:

Before ending this chapter, I would like to say sorry to all those people who are reading and enjoying this story of mine, because it would likely take me more then usual to write the next chapter of this story of mine. The thing is that I am going to be away from my home city for about a month (I am leaving in a few days after posting this chapter, and I had to work pretty hard to complete and post it before I leave), and I won't have access to Internet where I am going (nor much time or desire to type, truth be told, I am leaving to have some much-deserved rest after all). Therefore, I will not likely be able to complete and post the next chapter of this story of mine until around the beginning or even middle of September, but I sincerely hope that you will understand and forgive me (and most importantly, that you will be there to read the next chapter of this story of mine when I will finally post it).

Oh, and I do understand that it was a pretty evil place to end this chapter, with battle between Sand Siblings (plus Baki, Naruto and Sakura) and sound-nin only beginning, but… What can I say? I just LOVE cliffhangers!

Ja ne, I hope that when I will finally post the next chapter of this story of mine, you will be there to read it! And speaking of the next chapter…

Preview of the next chapter:

I can hardly believe how powerful these sound-nin are. We outnumber them six to four, but still they hold on… And they even seem to win? I… I think I got pretty good lately, but our enemies are truly the best of the best. Coming next, **"The Best of the Best! Time to Fight With All You've Got!"** Was all my training for nothing?


	5. Chapter Five

Author's notes:

First of all, I would like to say sorry to all my readers and reviewers for taking enormously much time to write this chapter of this story of mine, well over half a year. To be completely honest, one of the major reasons (aside from the fact that my post graduate studies have finally began, leaving me with far less time to write) is that my interests sort of shifted towards other anime now (most notably, towards Elfen Lied and REC, definitely the best anime I have seen lately), therefore leaving me slightly less interested in continuing writing this story of mine. But don't worry, as you can see, I am continuing writing this story of mine now (as well as my other Naruto-related fanfictional story, "School Wars"), and I expect to eventually complete it. Though in regard of completing it, I still have a long way to go; I have this story of mine thought-out almost thoroughly by now, and by now I have written less then a third of it.

And as always, I would like to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter of this story of mine, namely: **Kiba-and-Sakura-4ever**, **Mezumi Azuma**, **krista**, **MistressBlossom**, **sillymail**, **Suicidal Butterfly**, **Nian7**, **harunosakua**, **sakura90873**, **Hannah Sakura**, **HeartAngel**, **Sakura's Bloody Lullabye**, **Flowerperson** and **kttykiwi**. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much! I can only hope that this chapter of this story of mine will be up to your expectations, considering how long you had to wait for it (I do hope that at least a few of my reviewers DID wait for this chapter, instead of writing this story of mine off as discontinued).

**HeartAngel**, **Sakura's Bloody Lullabye**, **Flowerperson** and **kttykiwi**, special thanks to you for actually reviewing this story of mine a good half a year after my last update of it; I didn't really expect more reviews so long after my last update of this story of mine, and I was so happy when you have proven me wrong! Once again, domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!

Once again, I am very happy that you enjoyed reading this story of mine, **Flowerperson**! As I told you earlier in a PM, I haven't forsaken this story of mine, I just had an author's block with it, which I have overcame by now, more or less (I will probably still take time updating this story of mine).

Oh, and **HeartAngel**, I am sorry disappointing you with Team Kakashi's failure to notice Sakura's presence, but I hope you realize that a battle against all but superior opponents isn't really a place for reunion. Also, Sakura and Gaara were at some distance from Team Kakashi and the rest of Team Baki (as you probably noticed, Baki went to help Kakashi, Kankuro went to help Sasuke, and Temari went to help Naruto, while Sakura and Gaara went to face sound-nin's sensei), making her presence not instantaneously noticeable for her former teammates, particularly since they kinda have a more important things to worry about at the moment (particularly Sasuke, who is currently paralyzed, and Kakashi, who has been beaten to the point where he cannon even stand up).

Alright, and now without further ado, let's get to…

**Chapter Five**

**The Best of the Best! Time to Fight With All You've Got!**

Sakura stared at her opponent for a few long seconds before shifting her gaze to screaming Gaara once again. Despite the surprise, she quickly understood what has happened.

_"It must be some kind of Genjutsu! Gaara's sand would have protected him from any physical attack, but it is powerless against an attack that has no physical aspect. I must free Gaara from it quickly!"_

Sakura rushed to Gaara's side, preparing to perform Genjutsu Kai, but before she reached him the larger figure of her opponent blocked Sakura's way, and she was forced to dodge a flurry of lightning-quick blows. Just a few moments of such one-sided combat was enough for Sakura to realize that she won't hold against Hiroshi much longer, and she concentrated Chakra in her feet, swiftly jumping out of harm's way. During their first clash, Hiroshi had to watch out for Gaara's sand as well as for Sakura's blows, and only now, when Gaara was no longer at her side, Sakura realized how powerful her opponent was.

_"He is clearly of Jonin rank, and his speed and reflexes are fully match for Baki's,"_ Sakura thought, studying her opponent, _"__I think I got pretty good lately, but I…"_

_"You may be able to defeat most Genin and even some Chunin,"_ The memory of Baki's voice sounded in her mind, _"But until you learn to tap into more chakra, should you face a Jonin in real battle, your fate will be… Death."_

_"I cannot hope to win against him!"_ Sakura realized suddenly, _"I must either get to Gaara and release him from Genjutsu, or to hold on until other can arrive on my aid!"_

But one look at Gaara, whose screams were getting only louder as illusionary pain seemed to only intensify, made Sakura realize that she couldn't afford to stay in full defense. Among the Sand Siblings, Gaara was the one she was afraid of the most and they barely even talk during her almost a year long stay in Suna, but Sakura couldn't afford to coldly remain on defense while her teammate was suffering in such a way.

But Sakura realized the futility of her efforts the moment she charged at older ninja: he could effortlessly match her speed, and his skill suppressed that of hers; he wasn't a full-ranked Jonin for nothing. And in but a few moments, Sakura was once again forced to narrowly dodge the flurry of blows he threw at her.

She could only hope that her teammates were doing better…

* * *

"Shimatta!"

The moment Dashi disappeared, Temari broke into run, but immediately froze as he appeared beside her with his right hand buried in her left side, narrowly missing her heart.

Temari countered with a lightning-quick swing of her fan, which followed by a wide blast of wind, but Dashi seemed to simply disappear into the thin air, easily avoiding both.

"You are not bad, I'll give you that," Dashi said, appearing at some distance from Temari, "But you cannot dodge my attacks forever. Sooner or later, I will deliver the killing blow."

_"So, he is not just toying with me, I AM dodging his blows,"_ Temari thought, _"And if I figure out how I am doing this, I may be able to counter whatever technique he is using…"_

* * *

_"I got her!"_

It took Kankuro some time to catch up with the girl from the Sound, but now when he did it, he didn't hesitate to deliver a quick and powerful blow at her head. The blow struck home, causing the girl to stumble and… Disappear.

_"A clone! I didn't lose the sight of her for more then a couple of seconds, and yet she managed to replace herself with a clone without me noticing it! She is really…"_

Kankuro's thoughts trailed off as he felt a sudden shift in wind and jump sidewards to narrowly dodge three serpentine heads at launched themselves at him. Yet the serpentine heads turned around with incredible speed, following Kankuro's movement and biting into his chest…

* * *

"Don't let a single blow slip! This boy is using some kind of bone-breaking technique!"

"Understood."

With as many broken bones as he had, Kakashi could barely move, let alone stand up and fight, but at least he was able to warn Baki about the uncommon Taijutsu technique the blindfolded boy from the Sound was using. He hoped that it will be enough to help Baki to score the victory over a powerful opponent that the blindfolded boy from the Sound definitely was.

There was a quick exchange of blows and dodges, and both opponents stepped back. Both Baki and the blindfolded boy from the Sound were excellent in Taijutsu, but Baki couldn't help noticing that the boy's seemingly infallible reflexes suppressed even his own. And he immediately realized that the boy was relying on some kind of sixth sense, making him all the more formidable Taijutsu master. And if what Kakashi said was true he needed but a single blow to make the odds tip in his favour…

Almost as though he was reading Baki's thoughts, the blindfolded boy charged at his opponent once more; unlike Baki, he could afford to let the blows slip. Seeing the opening, Baki struck a blow of his own, but the blindfolded boy from the Sound effortlessly dodged it even as his fist connected with Baki's chest…

* * *

"Don't let a single blow slip! This boy is using some kind of bone-breaking technique!"

Sakura ducked, letting the blow she at first intended to dodge pass over her head. Though she realized the warning wasn't meant for her, she quickly guessed who most likely taught the blindfolding boy this technique.

_"She is a quick thinker,"_ Hiroshi thought with a frown.

He had no doubt that he would eventually get this kunoichi, but even though he had great faith in his students, taking time was one thing he couldn't allow himself to do. His students were some of the best ninja Otogakure had to offer, but presence of Sabaku no Gaara and this kunoichi proved that Sunagakure also sent their best ninja. Against them, he would take no chances.

Hiroshi proceeded to make a series of hand-seals, and with a startle, Sakura recognized them as the same ones he used against Gaara. Sakura had no illusions: even knowing that the sound-nin's attack is some kind of Genjutsu, the chances of her resisting the technique that brought down even Sabaku no Gaara were too slim to be considered. Sakura knew that like it was with Ino and her trademark Mind Body Switch Technique, her best chance was to dodge the sound-nin's technique before it hit her.

Sakura braced herself, once again focusing Chakra in her feet…

"Shinteki Oto no Jutsu!" (Mental Sound Technique)

…And jumping into air the moment Hiroshi performed his technique.

But the next moment she collapsed to the ground, holding her head in both hands. Inside her head a thundering sound suddenly broke, growing only louder and louder; although it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, it BECAME worse with each passing moment.

Sakura could felt like her ear-drums are about to burst as her consciousness slowly began to slip away…

"_No… It is just a Genjutsu! I… I can deal with it!"_

But the truth was that she couldn't. Even knowledge that all the pain she was experienced was nothing but a figment of her imagination didn't help, as the sound and all pain associated with it became so great that she could barely think, let alone perform Genjutsu Kai.

Through the pain that clouded her vision, Sakura dimly noticed as her opponent approach her to finish his job…

* * *

"Sabaku Hiden: Kaze no Tate Batsu!" (Desert Secret: Shield of Wind Attack)

Despite his youth, Baki's opponent was a true Taijutsu master; it took him but a couple of moments to realize and recover from the fact that his attack was not only deflected, but actually backfired on him: an almost material shield made of compressed wind not only stopped his attack, but the next moment it also rushed forward, striking at the blindfolded boy from the Sound with great force and taking him completely off-guard.

But even though it took the blindfolded boy from the Sound but a couple of moments to realize and recover from Baki's attack, Baki wasn't far behind in Taijutsu, and his opponent's momentary confusion was all he needed. And before the blindfolded boy from the Sound fully recovered from the powerful gust of wind that hit him right after his unsuccessful attack and threw him backwards, Baki was upon him with another, more lethal technique…

* * *

Although the girl from the Sound staked her pride, and her life, on her ability to always be prepared for anything, this time she couldn't help being taken by surprise. Though the serpents' bites weren't particularly dangerous by themselves, the real strength of her Strike of a Three-headed Serpent technique was in a powerful paralyzing or killing poison it delivered to her victims.

Right now, the black-clad sand-nin should have been lying on the ground, dying a swift but painful death. Not standing. Grinning at her. Grabbing her transformed left hand...

Too late the girl from the Sound realized the trap she was in: one of her powerful technique's flaws was that after the strike was made, she had to withdraw the snakes to return her hand into its normal shape, thus canceling now useless technique. As long as his opponent had a grip on her hand, he could use it to force her into a close-quarter combat…

Which was exactly what he did, pulling at her transformed hand with inhuman strength, thus dragging her from her hiding spot.

"You are not the only one good at deception, you know?" Her opponent said, continuing to grin at her even as his face began to fall apart, revealing the inhuman features underneath…

* * *

_"Damn! This is not good!"_

There was another quick exchange of blows, and Temari's opponent disappeared into the thin air once again, leaving her with another non-fatal wound.

So far, she succeeded only in preventing him from scoring a killing blow; but none of her attacks managed to reach him, while the wounds he inflicted were beginning to take their toll on her. The battle was slowly drawing to an end, and this end promised to be none too pleasant for her.

Naruto, who stood at the side, couldn't help feeling more useless then ever. He would die before admitting that he was anything but powerful ninja, but with both combatants being in constant motion, even Naruto had to admit that there was little he could do. Even his Shadow Clones wouldn't help; concentrating one controlling numerous clones reduced Naruto overall reaction greatly, and their opponent cut through them as if they weren't even there. And to think that he always thought that he has perfected Shadow Clone Technique... And even Naruto's most powerful technique, Rasengan, was useless with him being unable to come anywhere close to hitting the boy from the Sound…

Naruto's gloomy thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of another brief exchange of attacks between Temari and her opponent. Naruto retuned his attention to battle only to see Temari unleashing another of her Cutting Whirlwinds, but as before, archiving nothing other then leaving deep cuts on the nearby trees; in the heat of battle, combatants slowly moved from now-devastated campsite to the edge of the forest.

Naruto wasn't the smartest ninja in Konoha, far from it, but it was obvious even to him that Temari was slowly but surely losing this fight: by now she has already had half-dozen bleeding wounds, while her opponent didn't seem to suffer as much as a scratch, as none of Temari's attacks have apparently hit their target.

Naruto clenched his fists. There didn't seem to be anything he could do to help her, but while others were probably in need for help as well, he couldn't just leave Temari, who, as he suddenly remembered, saved his life, to almost certain defeat. He had to do something, but he realized that wide area attacks were probably the only way of hitting an opponent this fast, and unlike Temari, he didn't know any techniques that did that… Or did he?

The multiple cuts on the nearby trees, the results of Temari's Cutting Whirlwinds, suddenly reminded Naruto of the time Jiraiya was teaching him Rasengan.

**(Flashback)**

"If your Chakra isn't focused enough… That's what will happen."

Jiraiya's unfocused Rasengan left a shallow spiral-like cut on the tree.

**(/Flashback)**

_"But what if I make the spread wide?"_

Of course, Naruto realized that wide spread will make Rasengan almost powerless, but…

_"But what if I just put more Chakra into it? MUCH more Chakra? With the amount of Chakra I have, I can do it! I'll call it "Naruto's Whirlwind"!"_

Spotting the boy from the Sound stopping for a moment… _"By the way, I wonder why does he stop every now and then anyway? To catch his breath or something? Oh well, no matter!"_ …Naruto began to form Rasengan with both his hands. But instead of a small focused ball of Chakra, it was a larger and barely contained ball of swirling energy that hovered an inch from Naruto's palms, looking ready to explode in any moment. And that was what it did mere few seconds after Naruto threw it at the boy from the sound: powerful beams of Chakra going into every direction, leaving deep cuts on the trees, the ground, and pretty much everything. Luckily Naruto was able to calculate the strength of his new Naruto's Whirlwind technique with surprising precision, making certain that the beams of Chakra will stop short of hitting him and Temari: there was no way anyone could have dodged them.

But then Naruto suddenly noticed that his opponent was nowhere to be seen.

_"No way! Did he…"_

But then a sudden thudding sound attracted Naruto's attention, and as he looked in its direction, he saw the boy from the Sound hitting a tree hard and slumping down it to the ground, a little stunned, but not disabled yet.

At first Naruto couldn't understand how could it be that the boy from the Sound got hit only now, when his "Naruto's Whirlwind" was already gone, but it became clear to him as Naruto looked around and spotted grinning Temari standing a few steps away from him, with her fan in her hands. Her attention was focused on the opponent, however.

"You know, I realized what your problem is," Temari said, still grinning, apparently addressing the boy from the Sound, "No matter how fast you can move, your perception is still limited. That is why you have to stop every now and then: you can't seem to keep track of things while you are moving at the speed of sound, ne?"

The boy from the Sound didn't reply at reply, but a grim and suddenly serious expression upon his face told it all: Temari spotted his only weakness dead on, and there was no use in trying to deny it.

"We shall see how much it helps you."

"Sure, we shall! Hey, blonde." Still smiling, Temari half-turned to Naruto as she spoke, "Can you do your thing again?"

_"Ugh, she is the one to call me that, of all people!"_

"Of course, I can!" Naruto said aloud.

"Good. Then let's finish what we have started!"

* * *

Through the shroud of pain, Sakura could see Hiroshi calmly walking towards her, with an obvious intent to finish her off for good. He looked rather relaxed, as though she wasn't of any threat at all.

_"Which, I am not,"_ Sakura realized bitterly.

It was surprising that she could still have straight thoughts, by now the booming sound has became so loud, that if it wasn't an illusion, Sakura's eardrums would have exploded a long time ago. In fact, in her mind's eye, she could very vividly see eardrums exploding, warm blood running down the sides of her head…

Sakura weakly shook her head, as if trying to banish the unwanted thoughts, hopefully along with the booming sound that was the reason behind them, but all in vain.

_"Was all my training for nothing?"_

_"_…_Should you face a Jonin in real battle, your fate will be… Death."_ Again Baki's voice sounded in Sakura's mind, feeling her with sudden dread.

This was not a training match, not some friendly contest, and not even the kind of fights they had during the Chunin exam. This was a real battle, where the goal was not just to defeat, but to kill the opponent.

_"Is it… Over?"_

(_LIKE HELL IT IS!_)

As it was often the case in such situations, the voice Sakura always referred to as "Inner Sakura" made her presence known. But in the current situation, her encouragements weren't helping Sakura much.

_"Year, right. Well, maybe you'll take care about that little noise then?"_

Sakura has always made it a point to never even think of replying the "Inner Sakura"; having a split inner personality was bad enough, in Sakura's opinion, and she was afraid that she may take that little mental issue of hers down the slippery slope if she starts actually talking with her other self. Right now, however, she was in too much pain to care, and every distraction was definitely a good thing for her, particularly if it helps to at least partially distract her from the booming sound, which still continued to increase with every passing second, even though it seemed that no sound could possibly get any louder. Until…

(_HA, I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK!_)

_"Huh?"_

Sakura was surprised as the sound was suddenly pushed into the back of her mind; it was still there, but right now it seemed no more then a little annoyance, a distraction she was able to overcome with relative ease.

(_NOW GIVE 'IM HELL!_)

As Sakura came to her senses, she suddenly became aware of Hiroshi standing over her, with his foot raised for a blow. The blow was never struck, however, for the next moment prone Sakura struck upwards with her own foot, almost catching the older and more experienced ninja off-guard. Almost.

As Sakura leaped to her feet, she was somewhat surprised to see that Hiroshi, who was thrown into air and backwards by the sheer force of her blow, landed perfectly on his feet. He didn't look all that injured by the blow that, according to Sakura's calculations, should have been strong enough to break his ribs. Something was wrong; not even Baki could take her blows without flitching, and she never struck at him with her full force.

As a matter of fact, Sakura's blow hurt more then a little, though her opponent hid his pain well. He mentally cursed himself; he got careless, and if he didn't manage to put up his Shield of Sound in the last moment, the girl from Wind would have probably been able to, if not disable him, then at least make the odds tip in her favour. But who would have thought that she would somehow be able to overcome his Mental Sound Technique, a technique he has always thought to be irresistible.

To make things the girl from the Wind was obviously very strong, almost superhumanly so, and didn't need techniques like his Sound Blow fighting style to make her every blow count. Normally he would have been impressed by a girl not even half his age fighting on almost equal terms with him, but now he was more annoyed then impressed with it; the girl from the Wind was delaying him for much longer then he expected. In fact, he was forced to admit that she was almost a match for him. Almost.

With speed and grace of a true Taijutsu Master, Hiroshi charged at Sakura, dodging her counterattack with relative ease and then in turn unleashing a flurry of blows upon her. Instantly forced to go into total defense, Sakura managed to dodge all of them, but she was visibly getting tired; not only did Hiroshi's Mental Sound Technique drain quite a lot of strength from her, but also to match Hiroshi's speed she constantly had to focus more Chakra in her arms and legs, making the fight even more exhausting for her. And even though Sakura significantly improved in this regard under Baki's tutelage, her Chakra reserve was still anything but inexhaustible. This couldn't last forever…

A single blow slipped past Sakura's defense, just brushing her left side, but it was all it took: though Sakura all but dodged the blow, a mere contact with Hiroshi's fist sent some strange vibration through her body, and Sakura could feel her ribs cracking. She somehow managed to dodge Hiroshi's next blow, but his third blow hit her square in the chest, and this time Sakura's ribs didn't crack, they shattered. It was Hiroshi's personal invention, Sound Blow fighting style.

This time the vibrations actually went beyond Sakura's chest, reaching her arms and legs, but it paled next to the overwhelming pain in her chest. No longer able to stand upright, Sakura fall to the ground, fully at the mercy of her enemy, as overwhelming pain prevented her from either fighting or performing even the simplest of techniques. But this time it was no illusion, the pain was all too real, and Sakura wasn't able to brush it away with force of will alone.

Once again, Hiroshi raised his foot to finish Sakura off; though he usually fought with his fists, he was able to deliver Sound Blow through his feet as well, and a single kick at Sakura's head would be enough to shatter her skull into pieces. But suddenly, Hiroshi froze, with the blow never struck.

"Wise decision, big guy!"

Hiroshi darkly looked at the speaker, a smiling blond kunoichi. One of his students, Hisao Dashi lay battered at her feet, with the sharp edge of her huge fan pressed against his throat. With the incredible speed he was able to move at, Dashi could have gotten away long before the blond kunoichi could even blink, let alone strike a blow. However, his position was so that he simply couldn't get away without cutting his own throat in the process.

Further away, his another student, Taboshi stood still before his larger opponent. Though the blade pressed against Taboshi's throat was barely visible, Hiroshi immediately recognized it as Blade of Wind, a trademark technique of Baki, one of Sunagakure's best ninja. Taboshi's reflexes were excellent, but even they wouldn't help him when an opponent presses such a deadly weapon to his throat, particularly an opponent of Baki's level.

And further away, he could see a black-clad sand-nin emerging from the forest, followed by a vaguely humanoid but obviously inhuman figure. A puppet. In its arms the black-clad sand-nin's puppet carried the battered form of his last student, Madato Saye. His students met a total defeat. However…

"I see you have gotten my students, however, I can also kill these two at the moment's notice," Hiroshi gestured towards the prone Sakura and unconscious Gaara, "The girl is completely helpless right now, and don't think even for a moment that even Sabaku no Gaara's supposedly ultimate defense will help him, I know techniques that will get through it with relative ease, particularly in a state he is currently in. So… What do you propose we do about this situation?"

Baki didn't think long before answering, "Release my students and Sannin no Jiraiya, and I will in turn release your students and let you walk away."

"Sannin no Jiraiya is not in my power to release. I propose a counteroffer: to exchange your captured students for mine."

This time Baki thought longer before answering, although he didn't really have much of choice: though the exchange was unfair, the only other option would be to kill the young sound-nin… And should they do it, Baki was fully certain that their teacher will be able to carry out his threat. He didn't want to lose Sakura, but even more important was that Sunagakure simply couldn't afford to lose Sabaku no Gaara. And with that being so, the choice was made for him.

"Agreed. How do you propose we go about it?"

"I will release the girl first, one of you will come and take her away, and she will not be able to move on her own for a while. Then you will release my students. Afterwards, we will move away and let you take Sabaku no Gaara away, you have my word of a ninja on that. Is that fine with you?"

Baki hesitated, but there wasn't much of a choice here either: one way or another, one side will have to trust another in the end…

"It will do."

…He just hope that his trust won't be misplaced.

But despite Baki's worries, the exchange went smoothly. First Naruto went forward, gently picked barely conscious Sakura up and carried her back to Team Baki's position. Baki, Temari and Kankuro in turn let the sound-nin go, and they rejoined their teacher; the blindfolding boy offered his help to the girl, who was the most beaten of the three of them, but she coldly refused it. The next was the dangerous part, but despite Baki's worries, the sound-nin remained true to his word and moved away with his team, allowing Temari to go forward, pick unconscious Gaara up and carry him back to Team Baki's position.

It was only afterwards, with exchange complete and all their debts of honor cleared, two older ninja once again met other's eyes. Their battle was not over yet, but on the other hand, both of them were aware of the battered state their teams were in. If they were to continue the battle, the bodies would likely start falling on the both sides, and two older ninja realized it too well.

"I suppose we should take care of our wounded," it was Hiroshi who finally broke the silence.

"Agreed."

As if on cue, all the sound-nin jumped back towards the forest, disappearing in it within a moment's notice and leaving the battered teams Baki and Kakashi among the remains of the camp. Unconscious and dead bodies of the mercenaries hired by Otogakure were left lying around, but they were of no significance to either their employers or their enemies: the likes of them were just a cannon folder in the professional ninja's opinion, nothing more. In Baki's opinion, those of them who were still alive weren't even worth of finishing them off or taking them prisoner.

Baki sighed, and looked over the battered members of both teams; unlike the worthless mercenaries they hired, these sound-nin were certainly powerful, but somehow they still managed to defeat them.

_"No, not defeat them,"_ Baki thought gloomily, _"We were outnumbering them three to two, and even so we were barely able to make it a tie."_

Baki didn't know what will happen when they face these sound-nin again, but the final battle between them was inevitable, of that he was fully certain.

Preview of the next chapter:

I will not accept it, the fact that I was the first to be taken out, and even worse, by a girl. Even Naruto did better then I… My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I swear, this is the last time it happens! Coming next, **"Some Wounds Heal, Others Fester"** Whatever it takes, I will become more powerful.


	6. Chapter Six

Author's notes:

First of all, I would like to apologize before my readers for taking so long with writing this chapter of this story of mine; to tell the truth, I was somewhat out of inspiration lately. But don't worry, I am not giving up on writing fanfiction, and I will eventually update and (hopefully) eventually complete all my fanfictional stories that are currently "in progress".

And as always, before starting this chapter of this story of mine, I would like to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed the previous chapter of this story of mine, namely: **Flowerperson**, **Chippie**, **Sakura's Bloody Lullabye**, **Kotone111**, **sveta89** and **Coeur Casse**. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!

**Flowerperson**, I was very sorry to hear that you had a bad day, but at least I am glad that the previous chapter of this story of mine made you feel happier. (Though I guess it wasn't such a happy chapter, all in all; while I try to lighten this story of mine with cute and semi-humorous moments, all in all this story of mine is more serious then humorous.)

And thanks for forgiving me, **Sakura's Bloody Lullabye**! ; I am glad that you also like Elfen Lied, which happens to be my favorite anime at the moment. And by the way, if you like Elfen Lied (and particularly if you like Nana), you may also wish to check out my "Bubblegum Crisis 2033: The Story of Number 7" fanfictional story; it may be a little confusing if you haven't seen any of Bubblegum Crisis animated series, but I believe that you may be able to enjoy this story of mine nevertheless, and eventually you will get an idea of who or what Boomers are, what GENOM is all about, and who are those Knight Sabers who were mentioned in the summary.

And now without further ado, let's get to…

**Chapter Six**

**Some Wounds Heal, Others Fester…**

The door opened, and Tsunade entered the waiting room, where almost entire teams Baki and Kakashi were gathered. She looked tired, not only for due to her constant worrying over the last several days, but also due to powerful techniques she has just had to perform.

"So, how are they? Did you make them alright, Tsunade-baachan?"

It was Naruto who asked the question that was on the mind of everyone in the room, whether they let it show or not.

"Yes, their lives are not in danger," Tsunade replied, for once ignoring Naruto's tendency to call her "Tsunade-baachan", "I expect that both Kakashi and Sakura will wake up tomorrow; if they do, the hospital staff will call you and tell you that you can visit them, but until then – no visitors, they need to rest. And in a couple of days, I expect that both Kakashi and Sakura will completely recover."

Tsunade didn't mention that Sakura and Kakashi's speedy recovery was made possible only because she perfected her bone-mending technique several months ago in order to heal Rock Lee. Without her medical expertise, or that of some other medic-nin of her level, both Sakura and Kakashi would have been paralyzed for life; she didn't recognize the technique that sound-nin used on them, but whatever technique it was, its effects were truly devastating. Tsunade shuddered to think that practitioners of this technique were still at large.

"_Hm, perhaps I__ should arrange for ANBU to change that?.."_

"Anyway, why did you drag somebody like Sakura there? The real battle isn't a place for the rookie ninja like her."

Tsunade's thoughts trailed off as she looked at the speaker, one Uchiha Sasuke, with some surprise. But before she could find what to say, a comment came from a different source.

"Because she is a valuable member of Team Baki," the sand-nin's sensei's single shot a cold glance at Sasuke, "Of course, she had to face an opponent of Jonin rank… But then again, if I remember correctly, a certain Konoha's "experienced" ninja fared much worse against an opponent of Genin rank, so you can safely say that Sakura did much better then some others."

For a several seconds, an uneasy silence hang in the room, before it was disturbed by a barely audible sound of door opened and closed – unnoticed by everybody, Gaara of the Desert has left.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried looks. While Baki meant his words for Sasuke, it was clear that Gaara has taken them personally, and he was already keenly aware of how easily the sound-nin's sensei disabled him. All of this taken together was going to ensure that Gaara won't be in his best mood for a few hours at least, and he wasn't an easy person to deal with when he was in his "best" mood. And when Gaara was in bad mood, it usually meant that some people were going to die… Temari and Kankuro could only hope that it won't affect Sunagakure's relations with Konoha too badly.

Sasuke didn't linger too long after Gaara left, and one by one, the other Genin also said their goodbyes and departed, until Tsunade and Baki were the only ones left.

"You were a little too harsh," Tsunade commented, looking at the one-eyed sand-nin, "But I can't say he didn't deserve it."

* * *

"Ano sa, ano sa… Honto arigato, Temari-neechan."

"Huh?"

Surprised, the blond kunoichi turned around to see a very nervous left-nin who followed her from the hospital. She still remembered him from the last Chunin exam, and later – from his fight with Gaara, but she never imagined that he had this side as well. In fact, Temari was forced to admit that the blonde leaf-nin looked rather cute when he was shy and nervous.

"You see, you really… Helped me in that fight." Naruto continued meanwhile, taking Temari's surprise as the need for him to elaborate on the subject, "If not for you…" Naruto trailed off, he really didn't like to think of how close he came to the death in his latest fight with sound-nin, "A-anyway, thank you!"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Temari replied with a grin, "It was just a mission, you know, to get your sorry asses outta that trap."

"Na-nani?!" For once, Naruto didn't know whether to be angry, disappointed, or… What? "And… Nothing else?"

"It depends…" Temari's grin took a sly touch, "On what else you want it to be."

Catching Naruto's puzzled expression, Temari let out a short laugh before turning away.

"Oyasumi, Naruto-chan."

"Naruto-c-chan?!" Naruto exclaimed, but Temari was already walking down the street towards the apartment Tsunade gave to Team Baki.

* * *

As usual, the evening found him on the rooftops, fully awake. It was a rare occasion that Gaara of the Desert could allow himself to fall asleep without fearing that Shukaku will take control over him once and for all, and today was definitely a bad day for that.

He could feel rage slowly building up within him, a rage he could not control… But which he could direct where it rightly belong. Innocent passer-bys were not the ones to be blamed for hit defeat, and neither was the sound-nin, who simply did what he had to do to win the fight. The mistake was his and his alone, and it wasn't the first time he made it… And he decided that there would be no third time. He will no longer feel overconfident about his abilities, and neither will he doubt them and try to prove it to be different. Like a certain ninja who lately was on Garaa's mind much more often then he would have liked, he would simply do his best… And may God have mercy on his enemies, because he will have none.

* * *

From the window of his mansion, immense and empty, Uchiha Sasuke watched the dark clouds gathering overhead, his thoughts involuntary returning to his last mission.

"_You know? They say that the only surviving Uchiha was the weakest of their clan."_ The girl from the Sound had said, but…

"_She wasn't underestimating me.__ She was making me underestimate her. And I completely fell for it. Despite the appearances, she was both smarter and stronger then she appeared to be. Perhaps I was wrong… Perhaps, there are things I can learn from the Sound."_

No matter how much Sasuke liked to think otherwise, there were obviously ninja much stronger then he was… But perhaps it was in his power to change it.

"Whatever it takes, I will become more powerful." Sasuke swore aloud, and a distant sound of thunder was his only reply. A storm was approaching.

* * *

They stood together at one of the cliffs that were overlooking Konoha, paying little attention to a quickly-approaching storm. As a rule, ninja weren't afraid of getting wet.

"Thank you for taking care of her." Tsunade was the first to break silence, which lasted for a few minutes.

"It was my pleasure." Her companion replied, looking at her with his single eye. "In fact, she reminds me of someone I heard of quite a lot in my time. You might consider personally training her; the results may even exceed your expectations, I believe."

"I think I will," Tsunade replied with a small smile, but it quickly disappeared to make place for a saddened expression.

The silence hang in the air for a few minutes, interrupted only by the distant sounds of thunder, until Tsunade finally gathered enough courage to ask the question the dreaded to ask.

"What about… Him?"

For a few seconds Baki said nothing, instead turning away from Tsunade and looking into the distance. Then…

"Your suspicious were correct: everything your kunoichi managed to learn was a misinformation to lead your ninja into a trap. And obviously, sound-nin were smart enough not to bait the trap with a real bait… I am sorry."

Both Tsunade and Baki were well aware of the implications of this: Orochimaru had no reasons to keep one of the few enemies who could match his power alive if he was in position to change that.

* * *

The silver-haired girl stood in front of a lonely grave, seemingly paying no attention to the heavy rain that fell around her.

Jiraiya was a powerful ninja, and she was honoured that she has fought, and defeated him. It may not have been an honest combat, but after all, "honest" combats were for samurai, not ninja. Ninja staked their honour on their ability to complete their missions, whatever it would take, and that was what she has done.

She felt, rather then heard, another ninja approaching her from behind. He was very good, but in this place her senses went beyond sight and hearing.

"I regret to report that I have failed."

"I know. I have already received detailed report about your fight with Sharingan no Kakashi and his team, as well as Sand Siblings. You made the right decision; your students have a part to play in what is coming, and while Sharingan no Kakashi's death would have been convenient, he will make no difference, in the end. There is one thing we haven't taken into account, however, and it can potentially disrupt our plans. Therefore, this problem has to be… Eliminated." The silver-haired girl sharply turned around, her eyes, two dark pools, meeting the older ninja's. "I want your students to kill Sand Siblings."

Preview of the next chapter:

Another Chunin Exam? It will be a perfect opportunity for me to show what I am really capable of. Sand Siblings. Our newest enemies from the Sound. And… Who are these three? A new Genin team from Iwagakure? It doesn't matter to me. Coming next, **"****Meet Your Enemies, Old and New! Chunin Exam in Land of Earth!****"** Attacking rock-nin in their own domain wasn't the brightest thing you could have done.


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's notes:

Before starting this chapter of this story of mine, I would like to say sorry for taking so long with writing the next chapter of it, almost a year now.

In my defense, I can only say that nowadays I have a lot of studying to do, a full time job and very little time to rest, let alone write fanfiction… And to make it worse, I was kinda out of inspiration for quite some time now. But, like I promised before, I will not forsake this story of mine, and I will try my best to keep updating and eventually finish it.

Also, I would like to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed the previous chapter of this story of mine, namely: **Kawaii IceCream**, **Coeur Casse**, **Flowerperson**, **SoccerBlossom**, **mak0-ch1**, **RuKka** (previously known as **Sakura's Bloody Lullabye**), **SpeedDemon315**,** rikku92**, **Dreamergirl92813** and **angelus-2040**. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!

**IC-chan** (I hope that you won't mind if I call you so, ne?), I am happy that you liked this story of mine. I indeed tried to show Sakura improving at steady pace, but not drastically enough to make it unbelievable, and I am very happy that somebody noticed and liked that! And I also wish that more people would review this story of mine… (Although this story of mine is still the most popular story I have written so far.)

And I am sorry to hear about your problems with logging in, **Flowerperson** (although to tell the truth, myself I haven't experienced any). But I am glad that you took trouble to log in and review the newest chapter of this story of mine, and even more glad that you liked it. As you probably noticed, in this story of mine I wanted to give some emphasis to growing friendship between Sakura and Temari as well as student-teach bond between Sakura and Baki (but Gaara and Kankuro, being themselves, tend to distance themselves from Sakura most of the time), and actually, the scene where Baki defends Sakura was one of my favorite scenes from the previous chapter as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. Oh, and I must admit that I do like to insert bits of Japanese into characters' speech in my fanfictional stories, because I believe that sometimes it gives more "feeling" to what characters say; for example, to me English "Thank you, truly" just doesn't carry the same feeling as Japanese "Honto arigato", and similarly, Naruto's calling Temari "Sister Temari" just wouldn't feel right to me, while his calling her "Temari-neechan" does. But I realize that there are many people here who don't know Japanese at all, and therefore, I usually try to limit the amount of Japanese in my stories only to where its meaning is obvious… But I have to admit that I went overboard with it in the scene with Naruto and Temari in the last chapter, and I am sorry about this.

And as about your question about what happened to Baki's other eye, **SoccerBlossom**, I do not know, and I doubt that anyone really does (while I haven't seen all the Naruto episodes released so far, I haven't heard of Baki getting much spotlight after the Chunin Exam Arc). But he is a professional ninja, so it is safe to assume that he has lost one of his eyes on some mission. (And if you are wondering, no, I won't have Baki have his second eye as Sharingan or anything like this; I assume that he has simply lost it.)

**M****ak0-ch1**, I appreciate all the reviews I get, even if it is just 'PLEASE UPDATE!' comment. So, thank you!

**A****ngelus-2040**, while I won't reveal any future plot developments, I think it won't come as a surprise if I say that Gaara is seen by Sunagakure's elders as the prime candidate for next Kazekage. Not only he is a son of the late Kazekage, but he is also essentially Sunagakure's most powerful ninja in terms of sheer power. Whether he will actually become the next Kazekage remains to be seen…

Oh, and one last thing, just so that you don't get confused. Parts of this chapter of this story of mine are written in Sakura's point of view; format-wise (and actually, story-wise as well) Sakura's point of view is written as thoughts rather then flashbacks or anything like this, i.e. it is put in "inverted commas" and written in _italic type_.

Alright, and now without further ado, let's get to…

**Chapter Seven**

**Meet Your Enemies, Old and New! Chunin Exam in Land of Earth!**

_"It has been a month since I returned back to Konoha, although my return was nothing like I pictured it to be. I thought I would impress Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi with my skills, but instead that sound-nin beat me as easily as if I was the same girl who left for Suna over half a year ago… Well, Baki, Temari and Kankuro still assure me that I have done very well, and that they wouldn't have been able to win that battle if I hadn't held that sound-nin for as long as I had, but still, I wish I could have done more. _

_Sasuke and Naruto also changed somewhat in my absence... Well, it was mostly Sasuke who changed. At the first glance, he seemed to be even more unsociable then ever before, spending most of his time either in Uchiha mansion or training by himself, and even Kakashi doesn't see him often these days. But I met him on the streets once, and immediately realized that he was… Different. He was polite to me like never before, but also cold, and in a way, it was even worse then his usual insults. He used to act as if I was just an annoyance, but that time he seemed to act almost as though I was his… Rival? No, that couldn't be it, I must have gotten the wrong idea._

_Anyway, as about Naruto, he appears to be the same as he used to be: fun-loving, carefree and… Well, to be blunt, without too many thoughts in his head. But something about him immediately struck me as different, though it wasn't immediately that I realized that he was no longer chasing me around or stood on attention every time I spoke. I wonder, if half a year was just a bit too long for his crush on me to survive, or if he has met someone else…? Well, in either case, I never really imagined us becoming anything more the friends, although I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit disappointed._

_But of course, Kakashi remained the same laid-back pervert I remember him. Hehe, it must be true that the old dog will never change! He took Naruto and me on some training sessions, teaching us a couple new techniques, which was almost like the old times… Except that Sasuke wasn't there with us..._

_W-well, anyway, Baki and Sand Siblings are also staying in Konoha for now; they are considered as some sort of "envoys" or something like that, for whatever reason Suna needs to have "envoys" in Konoha… I read every book on "Ninja Diplomacy" available in Konoha's library, and even a few from Hokage's own library, but I have to admit that I still don't really get it. The only comfort I have is the feeling that nobody else does either…_

_Anyway, I am glad that Baki and Sand Siblings are staying in Konoha. Surprising as it may seem, Temari and I became very good friends during my stay in Suna, and I would have really missed her. But now she spends a lot of time with Naruto and me when neither of us is training. Well, actually she teases Naruto quite often like she sometimes teases me, and he doesn't take it very well, and he usually gets embarrassed or angry, or sometimes both, which is actually very cute, but that's beside the point! _

_Anyway! Despite all this, Naruto doesn't really seem to mind Temari's company. Which is logical, I suppose, after all, Naruto doesn't have many friends, just like me._

_And as of me, I still train with Baki every now and then, but most of the time, I…"_

"Sakura, concentrate!"

"H-hai!"

"Remember, strength by itself is nothing without the right application. No matter how strong you are, it will do you no good if you just can't hit your opponent. And also, there are techniques that can block physical blow with relative ease, not too many, but there are. Few of such techniques are perfect, but in the least they will hold your blow back for a few seconds or weaken it enough so that it won't do enough harm to disable your opponent; which, in turn, will allow them to counterattack you, and probably – with much more success."

It was on the tip of Sakura's tongue that she knew one such technique as well – Shield of Wind, but she held back from saying it. Shield of Wind was, in many ways, a powerful technique, but if the opponent attacked with elemental rather then physical force, it would be all but completely useless. And Sakura was fully aware of the fact that there were as many ninja who preferred to rely on Ninjutsu as there were those who, like her were better with Taijutsu then they were with Ninjutsu.

"So, what will you do if your opponent prefers to keep his distance and attack you with Ninjutsu from afar?"

Counterattacking with Ninjutsu was out of question for her, and Sakura knew it too well: not only most of the powerful Ninjutsu techniques drained a lot of Chakra, but also her best Ninjutsu techniques, like Blade of Wind or Shield of Wind, were actually the best for melee combat as well. In that case…

"I will simply focus Chakra in my feet to close the distance between us quickly, and once I am in striking range, I will have an advantage over him."

Tsunade seemed to approve, but not entirely.

"Such a direct approach may work, under the circumstances… But a skilled opponent will be able to react quickly to your charge and use this opportunity to attack you at the time when you will be least able to defend yourself. No, what I rather suggest you do is… This!"

With speed Sakura could only wish she would achieve one day, Tsunade slammed her fist into ground hard, hard enough for a wide and surprisingly accurate crack to open in the ground, running in a straight line from Tsunade.

"Almost any experienced ninja will be able to dodge such attack, have no illusions about it, but even so, it will usually serve to temporary distract them, and you can use this time to close distance between you, like you originally proposed. Of course, making such an attack requires not only strength, but concentration as well, but I believe you have what it takes to master such attacks, with enough training, that is…"

"Hokage-sama…"

Sakura didn't even notice the ninja, apparently a member of ANBU who suddenly appeared on the edge of the clearing until he spoke; obviously, she still had a lot to learn.

"…There is a matter that requires your presence. I trust you know what I am talking about."

For a moment Tsunade looked like she didn't, but then her face suddenly brightened with understanding.

"Ah, it is already the time, and I have almost forgotten about it! Very well, I will be there shortly."

The clearly dismissed ninja simply disappeared into the thin air, as swiftly and soundlessly as he appeared, and Tsunade once again turned to her student.

"Alright, for now I want you to practice with the technique I've just showed you by yourself. And don't forgot to practice with the healing techniques I have taught you early; you healing skills still leave a lot to be desired. In meanwhile, I have I meeting I have to attend."

* * *

The meeting Tsunade spoke of was taking place in the meeting hall in Hokage Tower, and included almost all of Konoha's Jonin, though it was five ninja who were in the center of attention: four were Jonin from Konoha, and the fifth was Baki from Sunagakure.

"As all of you were already told," Tsunade began, "It is time for another Chunin Exam to take place, this time, the village that will host Chunin Exam will be Iwagakure of the Land of Earth. And now, the Jonin who wish to recommend their students for Chunin Exam may speak."

Maito Gai, sensei of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Tenten was the first to speak, "Of my students, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Tenten, I recommend all three."

The next to speak was Yuhi Kurenai, sensei of Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, "Of my students, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata, I recommend all three."

She was followed by Sarutobi Asuma, sensei of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino, who was a little hesitant to speak, "Since Nara Shikamaru has already achieved Chunin rank, I recommend my remaining Genin students, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino." Asuma made a small pause, "There wasn't a final team member available in Konoha, so I will try to find one in Iwagakure."

Traditionally, Chunin Exams were taken by three-man teams, and those who have already achieved Chunin rank were strictly forbidden from re-entering the contest. And therefore, the teams that have one or two members who have already become Chunin were forced to seek extra temporary members from the other teams to fill their shoes for the Chunin Exam.

Baki, though as Sunagakure's ninja he wasn't answering to Hokage, was the next to speak, "I would like to inform you, that my team, Sand Siblings will all participate in the coming Chunin Exam. And as Haruno Sakura's most recent teacher, I also recommend her for the coming Chunin Exam and give her back into care of Hatake Kakashi to re-take her place as a part of Team Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded slightly to Baki before speaking himself, "Of my other students, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, I recommend both."

* * *

_"I was told about the Chunin Exam, and, well, I must say that I am more sure in my ability to pass it this time. Even though there are many ninja much better then I am, I am confident that I can compete with most other Genin on equal terms, and after all, if you compare how I am now and how I used to be during the previous Chunin Exam I was at, I have really made a great progress._

_But what is more important that my Sasuke-kun and I are together again! Although… He still continues to treat me differently, politely but very coldly, but… He is still Sasuke I will love no matter what, and besides, I am getting used to it… More or less."_

"By the way, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura asked as she walked beside her first teacher, "The Chunin Exams in Iwagakure… They will be the same as in Konoha, won't they?"

"No, they will be different." Was Kakashi's reply; as usually, his voice was calm, and with most of his face hidden behind his mast and forehead protector, it was next to impossible to tell what Kakashi was really thinking or feeling at any given moment, "The final test for all Chunin Exams is always the same – one-on-one combat to see what each Genin is capable of individually. Other then that, however, the contents and even number of tests can vary between ninja villages, and each ninja village used this to give their own ninja advantage during the Chunin Exams. Myself, I passed my Chunin Exam in Konoha, so I know very little about what kind of tests they have in Iwagakure, and only from what I've heard. One of the things I've heard about Iwagakure's Chunin Exams is that they don't include a written test…"

Upon hearing this, Naruto, who also walked beside Kakashi gave out a loud cry of victory; written test was the worst kind of test imaginable for him, and he seemed to completely forget that it wasn't the written test on which he failed during the last Chunin Exam.

"…Another thing I've heard about Iwagakure's Chunin Exams is that they put a lot of importance on ninja's endurance and ability to use his or her Chakra wisely."

Upon hearing this, Sakura's heart sunk; endurance and stamina were easily her weakest points, and although she knew how to use her Chakra wisely, it could only barely compensate for the very small Chakra reserve she had.

_"So long to the easy victory…"_

* * *

_"Anyway, our journey to Iwagakure was uneventful._

_Upon our arrival, we were given the apartments of our own, like all arriving ninja. The tests themselves will start tomorrow, and until then we were left to our own devices…"_

As Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke walked down one of Iwagakure's streets, Naruto couldn't help looking around, it was his first time in another ninja village, and the differences with Konoha couldn't even begin to be compared with a few non-ninja villages he visited.

True to its name, the Village Hidden Among the Rocks took cover under the gigantic cliff that loomed over the entire village, making it look almost as though it was located in a cave. The building were for the most part tree – five stories high, and were all made of stone.

There were lamps along the streets, but even they didn't dispel the dark air that seemed to reign in Iwagakure, and along with nearly everything being made of stone, it gave the village maze-like appearance, and rightfully so: if Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke weren't explained how to get to their apartment complex, they would probably be hopelessly lost by now.

As usual, Naruto was leading the way as three teammates walked, with Sakura and Sasuke content to follow him, almost, but not quite side-by-side: Sasuke was walking a step ahead of Sakura.

Because of this position, it was Naruto who first made contact with another Genin team coming from a street parallel to their, almost running into a taller black-haired boy in light gray clothes. Almost because in the last moment the black-haired boy struck out with his elbow, and instead of crushing into him, Naruto ran into the boy's elbow at full speed, with caused him to half-bend in pain and stumble back. Naruto tried to keep his balance, but failed miserably, landing hard on his bottom.

"Ow, that hurt!"

"Hey, what was that for?!" Sakura exclaimed, as she ran forward to stand before the black-haired boy.

Instead of replying, the black-haired boy turned to face her, which made Sakura take a very quick step back: although she has never seen this boy closely, there was only one person she heard of who wore his hitai-ate over his eyes.

"_No way! These are THEY!"_

The next moment two more figures joined the black-haired boy at the street: a brown-haired boy dressed in silvery-gray short-sleeved vest and shorts, and a cute girl, whose black hair was done in a short pigtail, dressed in black miniskirt and white sleeveless vest.

"W-what are you doing here?" Sakura stammered in surprise, and she had to admit fear: last time they managed to defeat these sound-nin only with Sand Siblings' help, and even then just barely.

"We've come to the Chunin Exam, of course, what do you think?" The brown-haired boy replied with a smile.

Looking at Sakura's frightened expression, he added, "And don't worry, we won't waste our time on killing weaklings like you. Just don't get in our way at the Exam."

The brown-haired boy way about to turn away, when a voice stopped him.

"Who did you call weakling?!"

The brown-haired boy turned back to the three and smiled at the speaker, the one Uchiha Sasuke. For a long second their eyes met, and then the boy from the Sound was no longer there.

Sasuke's suddenly-red eyes saw the brown-haired boy as he darted forward, and tried to dodge his blow. As first dodging it seemed almost too easy: with Sasuke's Sharingan pushed to its limits, even the brown-haired boy's superhumanly fast movements seemed slow to Sasuke… But his own movements were slower still. As if everything went in slow motion, Sasuke could do little but watch as the boy from the Sound came at him, striking out with his hand… Which stopped a mere inch from Sasuke's throat. There was nothing Sasuke do about a bead of sweat running down his face: he fully realized that if the boy from the Sound didn't stop his attack, he would be dead by now.

For a few seconds, the brown-haired boy studied Sasuke's face with a smile upon his own.

"That's today's lesson: you are no match for us, neither me, nor any of my teammates. Remember this lesson if you want to live long enough to become more power."

With that said, the brown-haired boy took his hand from Sasuke's throat and turned his back to him. With an air of superiority about him, the brown-haired boy started to walk away, silently followed by his two teammates.

_"Damn you!"_

* * *

"Hm, I wonder what Iwagakure no Sato has to offer in terms of entertainment?"

"Well, let's find it out!"

The siblings looked very differently: he dressed in black robe-esque clothes from head to toes, and her in her both effective and practical white dress. Yet it would have been apparent to anyone who watched them for a while, that the siblings had much more in common then not.

"Hey, looks who's coming!"

Ahead of them, two boys were coming into view, going along the same street that Temari and Kankuro were walking now, but in a different direction. Both of them looked to be a couple of years younger then the Sand Siblings, twelve or thirteen years old at the most – the more or less recently made Genin. Perfect sport material, in the siblings' eyes.

Both boys were dressed in light gray, almost white clothes, with hitai-ate displaying the symbol of the Hidden Rock Village upon their foreheads, but there the similarities ended. One of the boys, with black hair and dark blue was notable taller then the other. His pants were cut at his knees, and he wore short-sleeved t-shirt. In contrast, the shorter boy, with brown hair and eyes, wore long-sleeved jacket, and his pants went all the way to his sandals.

Nodding slightly to each other, Temari and Kankuro spread to block the narrow streets. With the siblings' intentions rather obvious, the two boys from the Rock stopped, eyeing the two siblings, seemingly without a hint of worry.

"_They look pretty calm about it,"_ Temari noted with slight annoyance.

It was true that killing fellow ninja who gathered for the Chunin Exam was strictly forbidden, the fights between the Genin from the rival villages before the Chunin Exam were still a common thing, and were accepted by the villages' leaders as a necessary evil.

"You want to fight, is that it?" The smaller boy finally asked, as the two sides were eying each other; if he felt slightest concern about facing older and more experienced sand-nin, he hid it well.

"Well, if that's the case, we can arrange that," the taller boy said, making a step forward…

Kankuro has been waiting for that. Some people knew him as a puppet master, and more would recognize him as one from his appearance, but very few thought about how puppet masters controlled their puppets. They did it with Chakra strings, and in skillful puppet master's hands, these strings could be used not just for controlling the puppets…

And as the boy from the Rock stepped forward, Kankuro pulled at the Chakra string he already place across the street, making it spring upward to cut at the boy's legs like a tiny but very sharp edge. Over a year ago, he used similar tactics to all but disable now-famous Naruto from Konohagakure…

But this time, it worked completely differently: instead of cutting at the boy's legs, making him stumble or even fall, Kankuro's Chakra string snapped as the boy from the Rock walked forward, seemingly without even noticing it. Kankuro raised his gaze from the ground where his Chakra string has been a moment ago to look at his opponent, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise: the boy's previously light skin has became rocky-gray in color, it looked almost as though his body was made of stone now…

Seeing Kankuro taking Karasu off his back and preparing for an all-out fight, Temari immediately realized that the fight is going to be more serious then they thought it would be. It was her cue to act. Taking her fan off her back with one fluid motion, Temari stepped forward, preparing to act as Kankuro's shield if she had to be.

Or at least, she tried. For when Temari tried to move her legs, she with a surprise realized that she couldn't do that: it was as though as her legs were enclosed in…

A quick glance down revealed to Temari exactly what has happened: her legs were enclosed in a mass of rock, only a think layer of air was left between her legs and rock, so that she didn't feel anything until she tried to move.

Temari's gaze went to a smaller boy who remained where he stood, seemingly doing noting. He caught Temari's glance and gave her a smile in return.

"I know that there's no love lost between Iwagakure and Suna, but… Attacking rock-nin in their own domain wasn't the brightest thing you could have done."

Temari considered trying to launch her Cutting Whirlwind at the boy from the Rock from the spot, but the boy's voice quickly stopped her.

"And I wouldn't try to attack if I were you… It will take my but a thought to make the stone crush your legs."

"_Damn it!"_ Temari swore mentally, _"Just a thought? Indeed, I haven't seen him performing hand-seals or speaking words of the technique. This must mean that… This is Kekkei Genkai! This would make this boy…"_

"You. You are a Stoneshaper from Kakoichi Clan, aren't you?"

"Looks like our fame stretches as far as Suna," the boy from the Rock said, smiling, obviously pleased with himself, "And from your rather unusual choice of weapon, I take it that you are a Windcaster. But even so…" The boy from the Rock held a short pause, "Your techniques are the normal ones. Mine come from my Kekkei Genkai, and thus, both faster and more powerful then yours."

He had the truth of it, Temari knew, and what was worse, he already had her in his mercy. No matter how long she thought, Temari simply couldn't see a way out of the situation she and Kankuro got themselves into. Luckily for her the help came from a rather unexpected source…

As the taller of two boys from the Rock continued advancing at noticeably nervous Kankuro, a figure suddenly jumped down from the rooftop and landed at the street between two of them.

"Enough. Make one more step, and you will die."

Although the figure was notably smaller then the boy from the Rock, there was something in his voice that made the taller boy stop dead in his tracks: the coldness that suggested that the newcomer truly meant what he said.

"Gaara!" There were few times Temari was as glad to see her younger brother as now.

"I trust you two have had enough fun for today, didn't you?" The mentioned person said, half-turning to his siblings and teammates.

Without waiting for answer, Gaara turned his attention back at the rock-nin, especially at the smaller boy, "You. Release your technique at once, unless you want to see how quickly I can crush your legs."

A little reluctantly, the smaller of the two boys from the Rock complied with Gaara's demand, letting the stone cocoon around Temari's legs crumble and melt back into the stones of the street it was made of.

With that done, Gaara suddenly turned sideward and said, "And now, you. Come out, unless you want to pick this up at where your friends left off. And the next moment, to everyone but Gaara's surprise, another figure jumped down to the street from the rooftop, landing beside two boys from the Rock, who immediately recognized her.

"Tehiko!" It was the taller boy who spoke, "What were you doing up there? I thought of all people, you'd be the first to join in!"

The girl who has just jumped to the street shrugged, "The odds were already in your favour. It was more fun to just watch."

Then the girl from the Rock turned from her teammates and looked at Gaara, "You are..?"

"Sabaku no Gaara"

The girl from the Rock nodded and then turned to her teammates, "Alright, let's get going. We still have to prepare for tomorrow's exam."

"Who died and made you the boss?" The smaller boy complained good-naturally, but the girl from the Rock simply ignored him, starting to walk down the street, and without further objections, both boys followed her.

They were already some distance away from Sand Siblings when the girl from the Rock suddenly turned and said, "I am Tehiko from Iwanori Clan. I am looking forward to facing you at the exam, Sabaku no Gaara."

"She says it as though we should know of her family," Temari half-whispered to Kankuro.

Kankuro only shrugged, he knew all the most powerful ninja families from Iwagakure, and Iwanori wasn't one of them.

* * *

**The next day**

All the competing Genin teams gathered in the caver in the far end of Iwagakure, where the village was contacting with the base of the cliff under which it was built. Sakura noted that Sarutobi Asuma's Team 10 filled with a fifteen years old Genin from Iwagakure, apparently, the only one from his team who couldn't pass the Chunin Exam, and she silently wished her old friend Yamanaka Ino good luck.

"Alright, everyone," the speaker was an older ninja from Iwagakure, apparently the testing officer for the current Chunin Exam, "Now I will explain to you the rules of the first test…"

Preview of the next chapter:

At least, the day I've waited for so long! Today, I'll show them all, both my fellow villagers who have always looked down at me, and those from other villagers as well. Soon, my name will be on everyone's lips. Who am I? Coming next, **"Through the Labyrinth, The Chunin Exam has begun!****"** I am Iwagakure's best ninja. Are you Konohagakure's worst?


End file.
